WWII 80: The Potsdam Declaration | July 26, 2025
WWII 80: Highlights from the Truman Library
The Potsdam Declaration
July 26, 1945
By July 1945, Japan was defeated nearly everywhere except in the hearts and minds of the Japanese. Even as the Japanese Empire crumbled and the suffering Japanese prepared for invasion, military leaders reminded their people that national honor prohibited surrender to the Allies.
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WWII 80: The Potsdam Conference | July 17, 2025
WWII 80: Highlights from the Truman Library
The Potsdam Conference
July 17- August 2, 1945
What do you do when you’re about to win a war and your mightiest ally seems just as dangerous as your enemies?
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WWII 80: The Trinity Test | July 16, 2025
WWII 80: Highlights from the Truman Library
The Trinity Test
July 16, 1945
At 5:29 AM on July 16, 1945, an enormous explosion rocked the bleak desert of southern New Mexico. The cause of the blast was a device called the Gadget, which exploded with the force of forty million pounds of TNT. It produced intense heat, a light brighter than the sun, and a mushroom cloud 7.5 miles high that glowed yellow, then red, then purple. People felt the shockwave 100 miles from ground zero, and newspapers reported that a blind woman 150 miles away asked: “What’s that brilliant light?”
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WWII 80: How Children Helped Win the War | July 5, 2025
WWII 80: Highlights from the Truman Library
How Children Helped Win the War
July 5, 1945
World War II was a total war. Those who were not soldiers conserved, raised money, boosted soldiers’ morale, worked in manufacturing, and contributed to the war effort in countless other ways. Even young people participated.
Tru History – A Word From Harry on Independence Day | July 4, 2025
Independence Day 1951
ON JULY 4, 1951, Washington, D.C. held a grand celebration marking the 175th anniversary—the demisemiseptcentennial—of the Declaration of Independence.
At 9:30 p.m., President Truman delivered an address that still has the power to thrill, challenge and inspire. Amid rising global tensions, he spoke of American unity, the defense of freedom, and the improbable birth of a democratic republic at a time when monarchs ruled the world. Following his remarks, a fireworks display (billed as the nation’s largest) filled the night sky. Read More
