1941
Operation Barbarossa
Three million German soldiers crossed the Soviet border on a twelve-hundred-mile front in the largest invasion in human history.
Pearl Harbor
At dawn on a Sunday, three hundred fifty Japanese carrier aircraft struck the American Pacific Fleet at anchor in Hawaii.
Japan strikes across the Pacific
Within hours of Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces attacked the Philippines, Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, and Wake Island in a sweeping offensive across the western…
Singapore campaign begins
As news of Pearl Harbor reached Malaya, Japanese forces landed on the Malay coast and began the fastest conquest in modern military history.
Roosevelt's Day of Infamy speech
The day after Pearl Harbor, Franklin Roosevelt asked a joint session of Congress to declare war on Japan, calling December seventh a date which will live…
Atlantic Charter issued
Meeting secretly aboard warships in Newfoundland's Placentia Bay, Roosevelt and Churchill issued a joint declaration of war aims…
Bismarck sunk
The pride of the German navy, the battleship Bismarck, broke out into the Atlantic, sank HMS Hood in minutes, and was hunted down by the entire British fleet.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1941?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1941. The most significant is Operation Barbarossa: Three million German soldiers crossed the Soviet border on a twelve-hundred-mile front in the largest invasion in human history.
What era was 1941 part of?
1941 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1941?
The events from 1941 span Europe, North America, East Asia and Southeast Asia.