The Holocaust (1933–1945) “Holocaust” is the term describing the Nazi annihilation of about 6 million Jews (two thirds of the pre-World War II European Jewish population), including 4,500,000 from Russia, Poland, and the Baltic; 750,000 from Hungary and Romania; 290,000 from Germany and Austria; 105,000 from The Netherlands; 90,000 from France; 54,000 from Greece. The Holocaust was unique in its beinggenocide—the systematic destruction of a people solely because of religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, or sexual preference—on an unmatched scale. Along with the Jews, another 9 to 10 million people—Gypsies, Slavs (Poles, Ukrainians, and Belarussians), homosexuals, and the disabled—were exterminated. 1933 Hitler named German Chancellor(Jan.).Dachau, first concentration camp, established(March).Boycotts against Jews begin(April). 1935 Anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws passed by Reichstag; Jews lose citizenship and civil rights(Sept.). 1937 Buchenwald concentration camp opens(July). 1938 Extension of anti-Semitic laws to Austria after annexation(March).Kristallnacht(Night of Broken Glass)—anti-Semitic riots and destruction of Jewish institutions in Germany and Austria(Nov. 9).26,000 Jews sent to concentration camps; Jewish children expelled from schools(Nov. 9–10).Expropriation of Jewish property and businesses(Dec.). 1940 As war continues, Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing squads) follow German army into conquered lands, rounding up and massacring Jews and other “undesirables.” 1941 Goering instructs Heydrich to carry out the “final solution to the Jewish question”(July 31).Deportation of German Jews begins; massacres of Jews in Odessa and Kiev(Nov.);and in Riga and Vilna(Dec.). 1942 Mass killings using Zyklon-B begin at Auschwitz-Birkenau(Jan.).Nazi leaders attend Wannsee Conference to coordinate the “final solution”(Jan. 20).100,000 Jews from Warsaw Ghetto deported to Treblinka death camp(July). 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprisings(Jan.andApril);Ghetto exterminated(May). 1944 476,000 Hungarian Jews sent to Auschwitz(May–June).D-day(June 6).Soviet Army liberates Maidanek death camp(July).Nazis try to hide evidence of death camps(Nov.). 1945 As Allies advance, Nazis force concentration camp inmates on death marches. Americans liberate Buchenwald and British liberate Bergen-Belsen camps(April).Nuremberg War Crimes Trial(Nov. 1945–Oct. 1946).

World War I (1914–1918) Imperial, territorial, and economic rivalries led to the “Great War” between the Central Powers (Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey) and the Allies (U.S., Britain, France, Russia, Belgium, Serbia, Greece, Romania, Montenegro, Portugal, Italy, and Japan). About 10 million combatants killed, 20 million wounded. 1914 Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and wife assassinated in Sarajevo by Serbian nationalist, Gavrilo Princip(June 28).Austria declares war on Serbia(July 28).Germany declares war on Russia(Aug. 1),on France(Aug. 3),invades Belgium(Aug. 4).Britain declares war on Germany(Aug. 4).Germans defeat Russians in Battle of Tannenberg on Eastern Front(Aug.).First Battle of the Marne(Sept.).German drive stopped 25 miles from Paris. By end of year, war on the Western Front is “positional” in the trenches. 1915 German submarine blockade of Great Britain begins(Feb.).Dardanelles Campaign—British land in Turkey(April),withdraw from Gallipoli(Dec.–Jan. 1916).Germans use gas at second Battle of Ypres(April–May).Lusitaniasunk by German submarine—1,198 lost, including 128 Americans(May 7).On Eastern Front, German and Austrian “great offensive” conquers all of Poland and Lithuania; Russians lose 1 million men (bySept. 6). “Great Fall Offensive” by Allies results in little change from 1914(Sept.–Oct.).Britain and France declare war on Bulgaria(Oct. 14). 1916 Battle of Verdun—Germans and French each lose about 350,000 men(Feb.).Extended submarine warfare begins(March).British-German sea battle of Jutland(May);British lose more ships, but German fleet never ventures forth again. On Eastern Front, the Brusilov offensive demoralizes Russians, costs them 1 million men(June–Sept.).Battle of the Somme—British lose over 400,000; French, 200,000; Germans, about 450,000; all with no strategic results(July–Nov.).Romania declares war on Austria-Hungary(Aug. 27).Bucharest captured(Dec.). 1917 U.S. declares war on Germany(April 6).Submarine warfare at peak(April).On Italian Front, Battle of Caporetto—Italians retreat, losing 600,000 prisoners and deserters(Oct.–Dec.).On Western Front, Battles of Arras, Champagne, Ypres (third battle), etc. First large British tank attack(Nov.).U.S. declares war on Austria-Hungary(Dec. 7).Armistice between new Russian Bolshevik government and Germans(Dec. 15). 1918 Great offensive by Germans(March–June).Americans' first important battle role at Château-Thierry—as they and French stop German advance(June).Second Battle of the Marne(July–Aug.)—start of Allied offensive at Amiens, St. Mihiel, etc. Battles of the Argonne and Ypres panic German leadership(Sept.–Oct.).British offensive in Palestine(Sept.).Germans ask for armistice(Oct. 4).British armistice with Turkey(Oct.).German Kaiser abdicates(Nov.).Hostilities cease on Western Front(Nov. 11).

1999 World History Thabo Mbeki (1942–) Eileen Collins (1956– ) NASA 1999 U.S. agrees to ease restrictions on Cuba(Jan. 4).Dennis Hastert elected to replace Newt Gingrich as Speaker of the House(Jan. 6).NBA ends 191-day labor dispute(Jan. 6).International Olympic Committee expels six members as bribery scandal widens(Jan. 24).King Hussein of Jordan dies(Feb. 7).Senate acquits President Clinton of impeachment charges(Feb. 12).Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo elected president of Nigeria(Feb. 28).First nonstop balloon flight around world completed in 20 days by Bertrand Piccard (Switzerland) and Brian Jones (UK)(March 1–20).Marine pilot acquitted in killing of 20 in 1998 Italian ski gondola accident; Italians outraged(March 4).U.S. accuses China of stealing nuclear secrets(March 5).Joe DiMaggio dies at age 84(March 8). Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary join NATO(March 12).NATO launches air strikes on Serbia to end attacks against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo(March 24).Dr. Jack Kevorkian convicted of second-degree murder in assisted-suicide case(March 26).“Melissa” computer virus spreads through the Internet(March 27).Libya hands over two suspects in 1988 Pan Am jet bombing(April 5).Two Colo. students go on shooting spree in ColumbineHigh School, killing 15, including themselves(April 20).NATO bombs mistakenly hit Chinese embassy in Belgrade(May 7).Citadel graduates its first woman(May 8).Crime rate in U.S. falls for seventh consecutive year(May 16).Ehud Barak defeats Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli prime minister election(May 17).U.S. inspects suspected nuclear weapons site in North Korea, finds nothing(May 20–24).Serbs sign agreement to pull troops out of Kosovo after 11 weeks of NATO air attacks(June 9).Nelson Mandela retires as president of South Africa; succeeded by Thabo Mbeki(June 16).Britain's Prince Edward marries Sophie Rhys-Jones(June 19). Kurdleader Abdullah Ocalan sentenced to death for treason in Turkey(June 29).White supremacist goes on shooting spree in Midwest, killing three including self and wounding eight(July 2–5).U.S. soccer team tops China for women's World Cup(July 10).Taiwanese leader Lee Teng-hui challenges “One China” policy(July 11).Serial killer Rafael Reséndez-Ramirez surrenders himself to U.S. authorities(July 13). John F. Kennedy, Jr., wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette killed in plane crash off coast of Martha's Vineyard(July 16).Col. Eileen Collins becomes first female to head a space shuttle mission(July 16).Falun Gong meditation sect banned by Chinese government(July 22).Day-trader kills 9 and wounds 13 in two Atlanta brokerage offices before committing suicide(July 29).Yeltsin replaces Prime Minister Stepashin with Vladimir Putin in fourth government shakeup in 17 months(Aug. 9).Islamic militants declare independence for Dagestanand announce holy war against Russia(Aug. 10).White supremacist opens fire at Jewish community center in LA, wounding five and killing one as he flees(Aug. 10).More than 17,000 people die in 7.4 earthquake in Turkey(Aug. 17).Attorney General Janet Reno reopens investigation of 1993 Waco, Tex., stand-off(Aug. 25).People of East Timorvote for independence from Indonesia(Aug. 31).Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak and PLO leader Yasir Arafat announce peace accord(Sept. 4).Larry Gene Ashbrook goes on rampage in Tex. church, killing seven and himself(Sept. 15).NASA accidentally loses $125 million spacecraft as it orbits Mars(Sept. 23).Dozens of people exposed to radiation in Japan's worst nuclear accident(Sept. 30).Russia sends ground troops to Chechnya as conflict with Islamic militants intensifies(Oct. 1).World population reaches six billion milestone(Oct. 11).Military coup led by Gen. Pervez Musharraf overthrows Pakistani government(Oct. 12).Tobacco companies admit to harm caused by cigarette smoking(Oct. 13).Senate rejects 1996 nuclear test-ban treaty; international leaders upset by U.S. stand(Oct. 13).Indonesia elects Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahidpresident(Oct. 20).Pro golfer Payne Stewart and five others killed in plane crash(Oct. 25).EgyptAir flight crashes over Atlantic, killing all 217 on board(Oct. 31).Judge finds Microsoft to be a monopoly(Nov. 5).U.S. and China reach landmark trade agreement(Nov. 15).China launches first spacecraft(Nov. 21).Five-year-old Cuban refugee Elián González gets caught in politically charged custody battle(Nov. 25).World Trade Organization conference disrupted by violent protests in Seattle (Nov. 29et seq.). New Northern Ireland government begins self-rule for first time in 25 years(Dec. 2).Muslim terrorists hijack Indian Airlines jet with 189 on board(Dec. 24).

1998 World History 1998 Ramzi Ahmed Yousef sentenced to life for 1993 World Trade Center bombing(Jan. 9).Pope John Paul II visits Cuba(Jan. 21–25).President accused in White House sex scandal; denies allegations of affair with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky (Jan. 21et seq.). President outlines first balanced budget in 30 years(Feb. 3).U.S. plane cuts ski cable in Italy and sends car plunging; 20 killed(Feb. 3).Thousands dead in Afghanistan quake (Feb. 4et seq.). U.S. court rules line-item veto unconstitutional(Feb. 12).Serbs battle ethnic Albanians in Kosovo(March 5et seq.). U.S. drops condemnation of China's human rights record(March 13).Hindu nationalist Vajpayee becomes India's prime minister(March 19).FDA approves Viagra, male impotence drug(March 27).Federal judge in Arkansas throws out Paula Jones case(April 1).Landmark peace settlement, the Good Friday Accord, reached in Northern Ireland(April 10).U.S. trade deficit biggest in decade(April 17).Europeans agree on single currency, the euro(May 3).Unabomber, Theodore Kaczynski, sentenced to four life terms(May 4).India conducts three atomic tests despite worldwide disapproval(May 11, 13).Indonesian dictator Suhartosteps down after 32 years in power(May 21).Pakistan stages five nuclear tests in response to India's(May 29, 30).Serbs renew attack on Kosovo rebels(June 1).Life sentence meted out to Terry Nichols, convicted in Oklahoma City bombing fatal to 168(June 4).Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha dies(June 8).Congress votes to overhaul IRS(July 9).Iraq ends cooperation with UN arms inspectors(Aug. 5).U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzaniabombed(Aug. 7).Clinton admits to affair with White House intern in televised address to nation(Aug. 17).Russia fights to avert financial collapse(Aug. 17).U.S. cruise missiles hit suspected terrorist bases in Sudan and Afghanistan(Aug. 20).North Korea fires missile across Japan(Aug. 31).Swissair jet crashes; kills 229(Sept. 2).Starr Report by independent counsel outlines case for impeachment proceedings against president(Sept. 11).Senate sustains veto of bill to outlaw late-term abortions(Sept. 18).Iran lifts death threat against Salman Rushdie(Sept. 24).German chancellor Helmut Kohl defeated by Gerhard Schröder(Sept. 27).U.S. budget surplus largest in three decades(Oct. 5).Matthew Shepard, gay Wyoming student, fatally beaten in hate crime(Oct. 6).NATO, on verge of air strikes, reaches settlement with Milosevic on Kosovo(Oct. 12).Former Chilean dictator Pinochet arrested in London(Oct. 16). Wye Mills Agreementbetween Netanyahu and Arafat moves Middle East peace talks forward(Oct. 23).More than 10,000 die in Central American hurricane, Mitch(Nov. 1).Democrats unexpectedly gain five House seats in national election; Republicans keep control of House and Senate(Nov. 3).House Speaker Gingrich to step down(Nov. 9).House panel drafts impeachment charges; votes along party lines to approve four articles(Dec. 11–12).Clinton orders air strikes on Iraq(Dec. 16–19).House impeaches President Clinton along party lines on two charges, perjury and obstruction of justice(Dec. 19).

1997 World History Hale-Bopp Comet NASA Mother Teresa (1910–1997) Archive Photos Princess Diana (1961–1997) Archive Photos 1997 Two Hutu sentenced to death in Rwandan genocide(Jan. 3).Floods cause wide damage in U.S. West(Jan. 5).Newt Gingrich reelected as House Speaker(Jan. 7).Hebron agreement signed; Israel gives up large part of West Bank city of Hebron(Jan. 16).U.S. shuttle joins Russian space station(Jan. 17).Gingrich found guilty of ethics violations(Jan. 17).President Clinton starts second term(Jan. 20).U.S., U.K., and France agree to freeze Nazis' gold loot(Feb. 3).O. J. Simpson found liable in civil suit(Feb. 5).Deng Xiaoping, Chinese leader, dead at 92(Feb. 19).Israeli government approves establishment of Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem, a setback in Middle East peace process(Feb. 26). Tornadoeswreak havoc in Arkansas, Ohio, and Kentucky(March 3).State of anarchy in Albania when third of population loses savings because of pyramid schemes(March 13). Hale-Bopp cometis the closest it will be to Earth until 4397(March 22). Heaven's Gatecult members commit mass suicide in California(March 27).U.S. Appeals Court upholds California ban on affirmative action(April 8).U.S. judge upholds California marijuana law(April 11). Tiger Woodsbreaks multiple records in Masters golf tournament(April 13).Fire kills 300 pilgrims outside Mecca(April 15).Senate, 74–26, approves chemical-weapons treaty(April 24).Thousands flee North Dakota flood(April 27).Sergeant Major of the Army, Gene C. McKinney, charged in sex cases(May 7).Russian president Yeltsin signs Chechnya peace treaty(May 12).U.S.-Russian spaceship linkup in orbit ends(May 21).U.S. jobless rate for May reported 4.8%, lowest since 1973(June 6).European Union bolsters currency merger(June 16).Congress votes major tax cuts(June 26).Hong Kong returns to Chinese rule(June 30).U.S. spacecraft begins exploration of Mars(July 4).Andrew Cunanan murders fashion designer Gianni Versace(July 15). Khmer Rougehold trial of longtime leader Pol Pot(July 25).White House and GOP agree on measure to balance budget(July 28).U.S. spacecraft transmits thousands of pictures from Mars(Aug. 8).Clinton exercises new line-item veto(Aug. 11).Timothy J. McVeigh sentenced to death for Oklahoma City bombing(Aug. 14).Princess Diana, 36, killed with two others in Paris car crash(Aug. 31).Three Islamic suicide bombers kill four persons in Jerusalem(Sept. 4). Mother Teresadead at 87(Sept. 5).Swiss plan first payment to Holocaust victims(Sept. 17).Militant Taliban leaders seize Kabul(Sept. 27).Iraq expels all U.S. members of UN arms-inspection team(Oct. 29).GOP victorious in off-year elections(Nov. 4).Pakistani convicted in 1993 CIA killings(Nov. 10).Two convicted in New York World Trade Center bombing(Nov. 12).Egyptian Islamic militants kill 62 at Luxor tourist site(Nov. 17).FBI ends 16-month investigation of crash of Flight 800 off Long Island; denies sabotage(Nov. 18).European Union plans to admit six nations(Dec. 13).U.S. company launches first commercial spy satellite(Dec. 24).Paris court convicts “Carlos the Jackal” of murder(Dec. 24).