1945: Japan accepted the Allies terms of surrender, ending World War II. The United States lost 41,322 soldiers in the Pacific theater, compared to 280,677 soldiers who died in combat in Europe. Of the 25,600 American prisoners of war captured by Japan, more than 10,000 died in captivity. The cost of fighting the war for the United States was $288 billion.
1953: David Mullany Sr. invented the whiffle ball for his 13-year-old son.
1973: The United States stopped bombing Cambodia, ending 12 years of American military involvement in Indochina.