 "History Today: How Japan’s surrender brought World War II to an end")
World War II ended on this day in 1945 when Japan formally surrendered to the Allies in a ceremony held aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
As the 20-minute ceremony concluded, sunlight broke through the low clouds. The deadliest war in history had come to a close.
Also on this day in 1666, the Great Fire of London started. Over the next three days, it destroyed more than 13,000 homes and many other buildings, including St Paul’s Cathedral.
As part of Firstpost Explainers’ History Today series, here’s a look at what happened on September 2:
End of World War II
On this day in 1945, Japan formally surrendered to the Allies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, bringing World War II to an end.
By the summer of 1945, Japan’s defeat was certain. Its navy and air force had been destroyed, and by the end of June, the United States had captured Okinawa, a Japanese island that could serve as a base for an invasion of the main home islands.
Such an invasion was expected to be the bloodiest seaborne assault in history, possibly ten times more costly in Allied lives than the Normandy landings.
On July 16, a new course of action became possible when the United States secretly tested the world’s first atomic bomb in the New Mexico desert.
Ten days later, the Allies issued the Potsdam Declaration, calling for the “unconditional surrender of all the Japanese armed forces.” The warning was clear that refusal would bring “the inevitable and complete destruction of the Japanese armed forces and just as inevitable the utter devastation of the Japanese homeland.”
Japanese Prime Minister Kantaro Suzuki told the press that his government was “paying no attention” to the Allied ultimatum.
US President Harry S Truman then gave the order to proceed, and on August 6, the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Around 80,000 people were killed immediately, and thousands more were left fatally injured.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTwo days later, Japan’s position worsened when the Soviet Union declared war.
On August 8, Japan’s desperate situation took another turn for the worse when the USSR declared war against Japan.
Just before midnight on August 9, Emperor Hirohito called a meeting of the Supreme War Council. He supported a proposal by Prime Minister Suzuki to accept the Potsdam Declaration.
The council followed Hirohito’s decision, and on August 10, the acceptance was passed on to the United States.
On Sunday, September 2, more than 250 Allied warships were anchored in Tokyo Bay. The flags of the United States, Britain, the Soviet Union and China flew above the deck of the Missouri.
A little after 9 am Tokyo time, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed on behalf of his government. General Yoshijiro Umezu signed for the armed forces, while his aides wept as he put his name down.
Great Fire of London broke out
In the early hours of September 2, 1666, a fire started in the house of King Charles II’s baker on Pudding Lane, near London Bridge. This became the Great Fire of London.
The flames quickly spread to Thames Street, where warehouses packed with flammable goods and a strong easterly wind turned the fire into a raging inferno.
By the time the fire was finally brought under control on September 6, more than four-fifths of London had been destroyed. Notably, only 16 deaths were recorded.
London in 1666 was filled with medieval houses built mainly from oak timber. Many of the poorer homes were coated in tar to keep out rain, which made them even more prone to burning.
On the evening of September 1, 1666, baker Thomas Farrinor failed to put out his oven properly before going to bed. Around midnight, sparks from the smouldering embers set fire to wood stored nearby. Soon, his house was ablaze.
The fire spread across the street, igniting straw and fodder in the stables of the Star Inn.
Panic swept through the city as people dragged what belongings they could to the Thames River. Others fled to the hills outside London for safety.
The Great Fire consumed about 13,000 houses, nearly 90 churches and many public buildings.
The old St Paul’s Cathedral was lost, along with other historic landmarks. Around 100,000 people were left without homes.
Within days, King Charles II began efforts to rebuild the ruined city.
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