Today in World War II History—Oct. 25, 1940 & 1945

Brig. Gen. Benjamin O. Davis Sr. in France. August 8, 1944 (US National Archives: 531202)
80 Years Ago—Oct. 25, 1940: While bombing Chongqing, China, Japanese bombs almost hit US embassy and US gunboat Tutuila, causing an international incident.
Benjamin O. Davis Sr. becomes the first Black general in the US Army (father of Benjamin Davis Jr., who will lead the Tuskegee Airmen and in 1954 will become the US Air Force’s first Black general).

Victory celebration at Taipei City Hall, Taipei, Taiwan (Formosa), 25 Oct 1945 (Photo: public domain via Republic of China Ministry of the National Defense)
75 Years Ago—Oct. 25, 1945: Japanese forces on Formosa (Taiwan) surrender to Chiang Kai-shek at Taipei City.