When did World War II end?

World War II, the deadliest conflict in history, ended in 1945. In Europe, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally, marked by Victory in Europe (V-E) Day on May 8, 1945. The war in the Pacific continued until the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, and the Soviet Union entered the war against Japan. Japan announced its surrender on August 15 and signed the formal instrument of surrender aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945 — known as V-J Day. The war had lasted six years and claimed an estimated 70–85 million lives worldwide.