Allied nations around the world celebrate V-E Day as the German surrender becomes official. The previous day, German officers began their formal surrender to Allied units in Rheims, France, but the surrender was not official until American, British, Soviet, and French officers signed on as witnesses.
33rd President Harry S. Truman is born in Lamar, Missouri. Truman became an artillery officer in World War I, commanding an American battery in France. Truman later got involved in Missouri politics, which led him to the United States Senate. He became president following the death of President Roosevelt in 1945 and authorized the atomic bombings of Japan, the containment policy towards the Soviet Union, and the desegregation of the American armed forces.
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House begins after Confederate General Richard Anderson and his corps march through the night and control the crossroads. A Union assault against Anderson's men at Laurel Hill did not dislodge the Confederates, and the two sides would battle at Spotsylvania for nearly two weeks.
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