World War II

Historical eventJanuary 31941

World War II

Second World War: As part of Operation Compass, Australian and United Kingdom forces attacked Italian forces at the Battle of Bardia in Egypt.

Everything on January 3Original source
Photo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain

In context

When
Friday, January 3 194185 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1940s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: 1939-09-01 – 1945-09-02.

Place: Russia, Japan.

Type: world war and historical period.

Deaths reported: 73000000.

What came before

Background Main article: Causes of World War II Aftermath of World War I The League of Nations assembly, held in Geneva , Switzerland (1930) World War I radically altered the European political map. The most prominent nations of the Central Powers each lost territory in their respective peace treaties at the conclusion of the conflict. New nation-states were created out of the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian , Ottoman , and Russian Empires . [ 1 ] To prevent a future world war,

Catalyst / how it started

Linked causes: Treaty of Versailles, causes of World War II, Adolf Hitler, and Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact.

Who was involved

Involved: Axis Powers, Allies of World War II, Nazi Germany, Australia, United Kingdom, Taiwan, Egypt, and Mexico.

Timeline

Follows: World War I.

What happened

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many engaging in total war on an unprecedented scale. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the deaths of 60 to 75 million people, a majority of whom were civilians. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan,

January 3 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1941World War II
  2. 2009Payment system
  3. 2009Cryptocurrency
  4. 2015Boko Haram
  5. 2016Nimr al-Nimr
  6. 2018For the first time in history, all five major storm surge gates in the Netherlan
  7. 2019Chang'e 4
  8. 2020Qasem Soleimani
  9. 2023Jurong Bird Park
  10. 20242024 Kerman bombings
  11. 2026United States

Also in 1941

  • September 11Des Moines, IowaIn Des Moines, Iowa, American aviator Charles Lindbergh delivered an antisemitic speech (reporting pictured) accusing Jews of controlling…
  • November 17World War IIWorld War II: Hjalmar Siilasvuo ordered Finnish forces to halt their assault against Soviet forces near Salla, concluding Operation Arcti…
  • August 14Dominion of NewfoundlandAfter a secret meeting in Newfoundland, British prime minister Winston Churchill and U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt (both pictured)…
  • September 3Deportation of Soviet Germans (1941–1942)The mass expulsion of Soviet Germans from the Volga German ASSR began.
  • July 31The HolocaustThe Holocaust: Under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring authorised SS officer Reinhard Heydrich to handle preparations for th…
  • December 10World War IISecond World War: The Royal Navy capital ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse were sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo bombers ea…
  • June 8World War IIWorld War II: The Allies commenced the Syria–Lebanon campaign against Vichy French possessions in the Levant.
  • May 1Citizen KaneCitizen Kane, a widely acclaimed film by actor and director Orson Welles, premiered.

Everything we record for 1941 →

Sources

Cite this page

“World War II”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/world-war-ii-1941-january-3, accessed October 26, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did World War II happen?

January 3 1941 — 85 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.