1945 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	19th century – 20th century – 21st century
Decades:	1910s 1920s 1930s – 1940s – 1950s 1960s 1970s
Years:	1942 1943 1944 – 1945 – 1946 1947 1948

The year 1945 was a very important year that started on a Monday. It is best known as the year World War II ended. It was also when two major international organizations, the United Nations (often called the UN) and UNESCO, were created to help countries work together for peace and education.

Key Events of 1945
Famous People Born in 1945
Notable Deaths in 1945
Nobel Prizes Awarded in 1945
New Books Released in 1945
Images for kids
See also

Key Events of 1945

January 27 – The Red Army (Soviet Union's army) freed the prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp, a terrible place where many people were held during the war.
August 6 and 9 – The U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These events led to the end of World War II.
September 2 – World War II officially ended.
October 24 – The United Nations was formed. This organization aims to keep peace around the world and solve global problems.

Famous People Born in 1945

Many well-known people were born in 1945, including:

January 3 – Stephen Stills, a famous singer and songwriter from the band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
January 3 – Victoria Principal, an actress.
January 10 – Rod Stewart, a popular singer.
January 26 – Jacqueline du Pré, a very talented cellist.
January 27 – Nick Mason, a musician from the band Pink Floyd.
January 29 – Tom Selleck, an actor known for shows like Magnum, P.I..
February 6 – Bob Marley, a famous Jamaican reggae singer and musician.
February 9 – Mia Farrow, an actress.
March 8 – Micky Dolenz, an actor and musician from "The Monkees".
March 30 – Eric Clapton, a legendary blues guitarist.
May 6 – Bob Seger, a popular rock music singer.
May 19 – Pete Townshend, a guitarist and songwriter.
June 17 – Eddy Merckx, a Belgian cycling champion.
June 19 – Aung San Suu Kyi, a politician from Myanmar who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
June 25 – Carly Simon, a singer and songwriter.
July 28 – Jim Davis, the cartoonist who created Garfield.
August 14 – Steve Martin, a famous actor and comedian.
August 31 – Itzhak Perlman, a world-renowned violinist.
August 31 – Van Morrison, a musician.
October 30 – Henry Winkler, an actor famous for playing "The Fonz" on Happy Days.
November 12 – Neil Young, another singer and songwriter from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Notable Deaths in 1945

The year 1945 also saw the passing of several important figures, especially as World War II ended:

March – Anne Frank, a young writer whose diary became famous, died at the Bergen-Belsen camp from illness.
March 26 – David Lloyd George, a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
April 12 – Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the President of the United States, passed away.
April 18 – Ernie Pyle, a well-known American journalist, died during the war.
April 28 – Benito Mussolini, the dictator of Italy, died.
April 30 – Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany and leader of the Nazi party, died.
May 1 – Joseph Goebbels, a key Nazi leader, died.
May 23 – Heinrich Himmler, who was in charge of the Nazi secret police (Gestapo), died.
July 5 – John Curtin, who was the Prime Minister of Australia.
August 10 – Robert Goddard, an American scientist known for his work on rockets.
September 26 – Béla Bartók, a Hungarian composer.
October 13 – Milton Hershey, the founder of the famous chocolate company.
October 24 – Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian politician known for being a traitor during the war.
December 20 – General George S. Patton, a famous American military leader, died in a car accident.