65 years ago today and how it affected US history

Sixty-five years ago today, two events shaped world events for decades to come. The first is the signing of the peace treaty that officially ended World War II in the Pacific. All photos are from Wikipedia Commons or the Naval Historical Center, unless noted. All photos have been linked, so you should click on them to see the entire photo and caption. If pictures don't have a caption, I have added the information below the photo.






Japanese representatives board the USS Missouri in preparation of the Surrender Ceremonies.








Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the Japanese Government.

Terms of the surrender included disarming the Japanese military, relinquishing Korea and Taiwan, and limiting Japanese sovereignty to the four main islands and a few small islands.

Terms further included revival of democracy, and stipulated "Freedom of speech, of religion, and of thought, as well as respect for the fundamental human rights shall be established."


These photos show the conclusion of the ceremony.




Carrier planes fly in formation over the U.S. and British fleets in Tokyo Bay during the Surrender Ceremonies. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives. Representatives from Australia, Canada, and Africa also attended the ceremony.

During World War II, Vietnam was a French colony under Japanese occupation. On the same day of the Surrender Ceremonies in Tokyo Bay, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) was established in Hanoi where Ho Chi Minh became the official head of the DRV and ruled the northern half of the country until 1976.

It's amazing how two disparate acts in different areas of Asia shaped and influenced American lives and have throughout my lifetime. From the rise of Japanese engineering, design, team concepts, and quality control, I have always been partial to Japanese products over those made in America. I often joked I would buy American (vehicles) when the quality equaled that of the Japanese. From cheap and tacky pre-WWII tourist souvenirs, to some of the finest automobiles on the road, factories with happy workers, and reliable electronics, the Japanese have shown what can be done when they don't have to worry about sustaining a military force. I'm sure I feel much different about Japan and the Japanese than people from my Grandparents' era.

On the flip side, I was deeply affected by Vietnam and the conflict I grew up watching unfold on TV. I was in high school when the "war" ended. Some of my friends had older brothers who didn't return from Vietnam, and those who did, came back emotionally and physically broken, or did not receive the welcome and jubilance given returning WWII veterans. I'm sure I feel much different about Vietnam than those young people going off to college this year.

I don't often express my private opinions on this blog, keeping it for art, instead. Even though most of us were not born yet, let us remember how much our lives were influenced, and our world perceptions shaped, by this day 65 years ago.

To lighten the day, change the subject of the post completely, and bring a bit of fun into this post, my blog pick today is Cross My Hooks, a blog written by Moe, a college student who lives in Virginia (US). Although her primary posts involve her love of crocheting and ceramics, she also features other blogs that interest her. That's how I became acquainted with her blog. She sent me a comment letting me know she featured one of my tutorials on her blog. I thought that turnabout was only fair play. Moe scours the internet for interesting links to projects she is interested in or working on. I hope you'll stop by and see some of her projects today.