By: Sofia Beraldo, Mary Connor, and Liane McPhee

 After Hitler returned from bidding farewell to his staff members, two men heard a gunshot  They entered Hitler’s quarters to find his body sprawled on the sofa  Blood dripped from his head due to the gunshot to the right temple  Eva (his wife) died shortly after from drinking poison (Goebbels et all)

 Germany lost any chance of continuing the war in an organized way  German Forces in Italy surrendered  Soviet Union announced the fall of Berlin (New York Times)

 Unconditional surrender form was signed by General Alfred Jodl (Sheffield)  Unconditional surrender means the allies can take whatever they want from the surrendering party  Winston Churchill announced that it would be a public holiday  Germany was done at this point and wanted to end the war

 The official celebration of Victory in Europe day  VE day was celebrated in Germany with a church parade  Bonfires in Germany were lit on which swastikas were ceremonially burned (Sheffield)  It was a day for celebration and remembrance

 A force of British and Canadian ships spent VE Day sailing to Jersey and Guernsey (Sheffield)  Some Canadians drove in their trucks celebrating the day  Many sailors of the Royal Navy discovered the news through their ships' sparks (Sheffield)  There were also street parties held in Britain

 Although it does not mark the end of the war VE day marks a day when peace started to be restored  The Germans had finally surrendered unconditionally to the allies  The war in Europe was finally over and civilians could stop living in fear (Coyler et all)

A painting of VE day in Europe by Laurence Stephen Lowry

 Over 1 million people gathered in the streets and villages of the UK to celebrate  VE day is not the marking of the end of the war all together  To mark the 50th anniversary VE day in 1995 May Day Bank Holiday in the UK was moved to 8th May  There were fireworks, bonfires, speeches and Church services, parades and street parties to celebrate (Sheffield)

 Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced Japan would be surrendering  News spread worldwide about Japan’s unconditional surrender  This effectively ended World War II  The day was full of celebrations everywhere  President Harry S. Truman announced the news on the 14th at a meeting in the white house (History.com)

 Citizens from Tennessee celebrating the news

 One of the most famous pictures from WWII which was taken in Times Square of a sailor kissing a nurse taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt  lets-loose/

 The day which is actually celebrated as Victory in Japan day  This was the day in which the forms were actually signed (Coyler et all)  The signing took place aboard the U.S.S. Missouri anchored in Tokyo Bay Members of the Japanese empire were the ones to sign the forms and American General Douglas MacArthur

 VJ day is an annual state holiday celebrated on the second Monday in August in Rhode Island in the United States  August 6 th was the day the first atomic bomb was dropped by the Americans on Hiroshima, Japan they did not surrender until another was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan  The atomic bomb completely destroyed the city and killed thousands and thousands of people (Coyler et all)

 Victory in Japan day is one of the most important days in history  The brutal and fearsome environment that many called home was now restored to peace  For many it was a day to honour those who served and lost their lives for the freedom of others (Coyler et all)

 "VE Day, 8 May 1945." WarMuseum.ca. Government of Canada, n.d. Web. 17 Jan  Sheffield, Gary, Dr. "Victory Day in Europe." BBC News. BBC, 10 Mar Web. 17 Jan  "1945: Allied Nations Celebrate VJ Day." BBC News. BBC, 15 Aug Web. 20 Jan  The Associated Press. "Berlin Falls to Russians, 70,000 Give Up; 1,000,000 Surrender in Italy and Austria; Denmark Is Cut Off; Hamburg Gives Up." The New York Times. N.p., 2 May Web. 21 Jan  Thompson, Julian. WW2 Victory in Europe Experience: From D-Day to the Destruction of the Third Reich. Great Britain: Carlton, Print.  James. "VE Day Facts." VE Day Facts. N.p., 11 Mar Web. 21 Jan  Colyer, Jill. Creating Canada: A History to the Present. Toronto, ON.: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Print.  "V-J Day." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 21 Jan  "World War II History: WW2 in the Pacific (Japan) for Kids." Ducksters. Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI), Jan Web. 22 Jan  Goebbels, Joseph, Dr. "The History Place - Holocaust Timeline: The Death of Hitler." The History Place - Holocaust Timeline: The Death of Hitler. N.p., Web. 22 Jan