Welcome to University Libraries' LibGuide honoring the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Here you will find content on World War II such as e-books and videos. We are also remembering the loved ones of UToledo students, faculty, and staff who served in World War II with our Wall of Honor. The names are displayed here on the LibGuide and were also displayed throughout the Fall 2020 semester on the Wall of Honor that was located on the 1st floor of Carlson Library.
September 1, 1939: Germany invades Poland.
December 7, 1941: The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
June 6, 1944: D-Day
May 8, 1945: Victory in Europe Day. World War II ends in Europe.
August 6, 1945: Dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
August 9, 1945: Dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
August 15, 2945: Victory over Japan Day.
September 2, 1945: Japan signs surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, officially ending the war.
Located in New Orleans, the National WWII Museum features exhibits, multimedia experiences, and a collection of artifacts and oral histories. They also have researchers who can help find information on those who served during World War II through their Research a Veteran service. Visit their website at https://www.nationalww2museum.org/. Make sure to visit their page about the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II at https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/topics/75th-anniversary-end-world-war-ii.
The Ward M. Canaday Center, located in Carlson Library, has been an official partner of the Veterans History Project since 2005. Currently, the Canaday Center Houses more than 600 audio and video oral histories of local veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Included with these interviews are artifacts, ephemera, and any other collectibles that the veterans interviewed have decided to donate to the project.
Andrew "Bud" Fisher recorded many of the interviews as part of the Veterans History Project. He used these recordings to write What a Time It Was: Interviews with Northwest Ohio Veterans of World War II, which was published in 2009. This book is available for checkout at Carlson Library.
Learn more about the Canaday Center's participation in the Veterans History Project here: https://www.utoledo.edu/library/canaday/vethist.html.
The most famous depiction of V-J Day in the U.S. Candid photo taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt in New York City on August 14, 1945.
Carl Joseph
Carl Joseph was raised in Toledo's north end. He was an avid reader with interests in history, political theory, social justice, and the American labor movement. In 1942, Carl began his studies at the University of Toledo, but left to fight in World War II. He became a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Infantry Division of the US Army's 505th Regiment, training in North Africa and making combat jumps into Sicily and Salerno during the Allied Invasion of Italy. Carl kept up a wartime correspondence with University President Philip Nash and sent books he purchased while overseas to be donated to the University's library. Carl was killed in action on D-Day in Normandy.
The Carl Joseph Reading Commons in the University of Toledo’s Carlson Library was dedicated on June 6, 2013. It was funded by a bequest made in Carl’s memory by his brother Albert. Books selected for the collection reflect topics of interest to Carl, including labor history and the labor movement, social conditions and social justice, war and peace, American history and American presidents, and political theory and political activism. The Reading Commons can be found on the 5th floor of Carlson Library.
