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In case you missed it on the heels of the Labor Day Weekend, September 2 marked the 80th anniversary of the official end of World War II, when the Japanese signed the surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, under the watchful eyes of General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz. The ceremony officially ended the most destructive war in human history – as many as 70 million people dead, and much of Europe and Asia destroyed – and an end to the reigns of terror of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. I’ve included a PDF facsimile of the surrender document with some clarifying notes that I’ve added.
This is a great photo showing just how watchful General MacArthur was during the signing of the surrender document.