What year did World War II end?

World War II officially ended in 1945. This year marks the conclusion of the conflict in Europe with the unconditional surrender of Germany in May, followed by the surrender of Japan in September after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These events led to the formal conclusion of hostilities, which is recognized historically as the end of the war. The timeline of this major global conflict is crucial, as it transformed international relations and had lasting impacts on the world order. The other years listed do not correspond to significant end dates in the conflict; 1939 marks the beginning of the war, while 1940 and 1950 fall outside the timeline of the war's official end.