The year in history
1945
Someone born in 1945 turns 81 in 2026
1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1945th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 945th year of the 2nd millennium, the 45th year of the 20th century, and the 6th year of the 1940s decade. A turning point in human history, 1945 marked the end of World War II, ending with the defeat and occupation of Nazi Germany (including Austria) and the Empire of Japan (especially Korea) by the United States and the Soviet Union in the world of two superpowers which led to the beginning of the Cold War (1945–1991). It is also the year the Nazi concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic bombs (nukes) have been used in war against the Japanese.
What happened in 1945
WWII:
Walter Ulbricht becomes leader of the German Communists in Moscow.
Finland declares war on the Axis powers.
The Arab League is formed, with the adoption of a charter in Cairo, Egypt.
A devastating tornado outbreak occurs across the United States, which kills 128 people and injures over 1,000 others. This is heavily overshadowed by the death of President Roosevelt.
WWII – Elbe Day: American and Soviet troops link up at the river Elbe, cutting Germany in two.
Expatriate American poet Ezra Pound is arrested by the Italian resistance movement but soon released by them as of no interest; on May 5 he turns himself in to the United States Army and is imprisoned as a traitor.
Hermann Göring surrenders himself to the United States Army near Radstadt.
Brazilian cruiser Bahia is sunk by an accidentally induced explosion, killing more than 300 and stranding the survivors in shark-infested waters.
WWII:
The office of governor-general of Korea is disbanded by the United States Army Military Government in Korea, formally ending Japan's 35-year rule in Korea.
The undivided country of India joins the United Nations.
Famous people born in 1945
Pietro Grasso
Italian politician
January 1 →
Arthur Beetson
Australian rugby league player and coach (d. 2011)
January 21 →
Sarah Weddington
American attorney (d. 2021)
February 5 →
Barry Bostwick
American actor
February 24 →
Othman Abdullah
Malaysian footballer (d. 2015)
March 13 →
Walt Frazier
African-American basketball player
March 29 →
Ana Lúcia Torre
Brazilian actress
April 21 →
Tammam Salam
34th Prime Minister of Lebanon
May 13 →
Andrea Bronfman
American philanthropist (d. 2006)
May 30 →
Pat Jennings
Northern Irish footballer
June 12 →
Thiagarajan
Indian actor, director and producer
June 21 →
Paul Chun
Hong Kong actor
June 26 →
Linda Warren
American author
July 2 →
Daniel Ona Ondo
Gabonese politician
July 10 →
Alexander
Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
July 17 →
David Sanborn
American saxophonist (d. 2024)
July 30 →
Katri Helena
Finnish singer
August 17 →
Victor Ramahatra
5th Prime Minister of Madagascar
September 6 →
Gonzaguinha
Brazilian singer, composer (d. 1991)
September 22 →
Aurore Clément
French actress
October 12 →
Carrie Snodgress
American actress (d. 2004)
October 27 →
Wilma Mankiller
Chief of the Cherokee Nation (d. 2010)
November 18 →
Bozhidar Dimitrov
Bulgarian historian, politician and polemicist (d. 2018)
December 3 →
Claudine Hermann
French physicist (d. 2021)
December 19 →