Detailed Summary
World War II ended on September 2, 1945, when Japan formally surrendered to the Allied forces aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, marking the conclusion of the deadliest conflict in human history. The war's end followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, which forced Japan to capitulate. The surrender ceremony was attended by representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, China, and other Allied nations, bringing an official end to a global conflict that had resulted in millions of deaths, widespread destruction, and significant geopolitical shifts, leading to the beginning of the Cold War era.