Historical eventSeptember 121942

World War II

World War II: The Imperial Japanese Army began the Battle of Edson's Ridge in an effort to retake Henderson Field on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands from the Allies.

Everything on September 12Original source

In context

When
Saturday, September 12 194284 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: From 1942.

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,

September 12 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1942World War II
  2. 2005Israeli–Palestinian conflict
  3. 2007Joseph Estrada
  4. 20072007 Bengkulu earthquakes
  5. 2008Metrolink (California)
  6. 20082008 Chatsworth train collision
  7. 2012Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Air Flight 251 (2012)
  8. 2013NASA
  9. 2014Synagogue Church of All Nations
  10. 2015Petlawad explosion
  11. 2021Siberian Light Aviation Flight 51

Also in 1942

  • July 13World War IIWorld War II: The 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment was converted from a battalion to accommodate a larger number of volunteers spurred on b…
  • September 3The HolocaustThe Holocaust: In possibly the first Jewish ghetto uprising, residents of the Łachwa Ghetto in occupied Poland, informed of the upcoming…
  • September 3Łachwa GhettoWorld War II: In response to news of its coming liquidation, Dov Lopatyn leads an uprising in the Ghetto of Lakhva (present-day Belarus).
  • May 4World War IIWorld War II: Aircraft from Imperial Japanese Navy vessels attacked Allied naval forces, beginning the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first…
  • June 1World War IIWorld War II: The crews of three Japanese submarines scuttled their vessels and committed suicide after entering Sydney Harbour and launc…
  • December 10Edward Bernard RaczyńskiEdward Raczyński of the Polish government-in-exile issued a note that was the first official report on the Holocaust.
  • October 27Empire of JapanThe Empire of Japan achieved a pyrrhic victory against the United States at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.
  • October 2World War IISecond World War: HMS Curacoa (pictured) was accidentally rammed and sunk by RMS Queen Mary while escorting the liner to provide protecti…

Everything we record for 1942 →

Sources

Cite this page

“World War II”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/world-war-ii-1942-september-12, 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?

September 12 1942 — 84 years ago, on a Saturday.

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.

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