* 1939 – 1945, the Second Battle of the Atlantic.

* 1945 – World War II: Sarajevo is liberated from German and Croatian forces by the Yugoslav Partisans.

* 1945 – World War II: the Battle of Slater's Knoll on Bougainville comes to an end.

* 1945 – Neal Boortz, American radio personality

* 1945 – U. S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies while in office ; vice-president Harry Truman is sworn in as the 33rd President.

* 1945 – Lee Jong-wook, Korean Director-General of the World Health Organization ( d. 2006 )

* 1945 – World War II: Führerbunker: Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun commit suicide after being married for one day.

* 1945 – Annie Dillard, American writer

* 1945 – Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter, musician, and activist ( d. 2001 )

* 1945 – Michael J. Smith, American astronaut ( d. 1986 )

* 1871 – Theodore Dreiser, American author ( d. 1945 )

* 1905 – Aris Velouchiotis, Greek military leader ( d. 1945 )

* 1945 – Jan Sloot, Dutch inventor ( d. 1999 )

* 1945 – World War II: Hiroshima, Japan is devastated when the atomic bomb " Little Boy " is dropped by the United States B-29 Enola Gay.

* 1945 – Ron Jones, English director ( d. 1993 )

* 1945 – Andy Messersmith, American baseball player

* 1945 – World War II: Nagasaki, Japan is devastated when an atomic bomb, Fat Man, is dropped by the United States B-29 Bockscar.

* 1945 – World War II: The Soviet Union declares war on Japan and begins the Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation.

* 1945 – Barbara Delinsky, American author

* 1945 – Aleksandr Gorelik, Russian figure skater ( d. 2012 )

* 1866 – Giovanni Agnelli, Italian businessman, founded Fiat S. p. A ( d. 1945 )

* 1945 – Lars Engqvist, Swedish politician

* 1945 – Robin Jackman, English cricketer

* 1897 – Karl-Otto Koch, German SS officer ( d. 1945 )

Rosemary Elizabeth " Posy " Simmonds MBE ( born 9 August 1945 ) is a British newspaper cartoonist and writer and illustrator of children's books.

He was re-elected in 1941, Manitoba general election, 1945 and 1949 over candidates of the CCF, though in 1945 he almost lost the coalition nomination to Frank Simmonds.

* 1945 – Kevin Ayers, English singer-songwriter and guitarist ( Soft Machine )

* 1945 – Ian Gillan, English singer-songwriter ( Deep Purple, Episode Six, and WhoCares )

* 1945 – Bob Peck, English actor ( d. 1999 )

* 1945 – Chris Copping, English singer-songwriter, musician, and composer

* 1945 – Ritchie Blackmore, English guitarist and songwriter ( The Outlaws, Deep Purple, Rainbow, and Blackmore's Night )

From 1942 to 1944 George Orwell was a proponent of Basic English, but in 1945 he became critical of universal languages.

A. Richards & Christine Gibson, Learning Basic English: A Practical Handbook for English-Speaking People, New York: W. W. Norton & Co. ( 1945 )

* 1945 – Bobby George, English professional darts player

* 1945 – Davy Jones, English singer, songwriter and actor ( The Monkees )( d. 2012 )

David Thomas " Davy " Jones ( 30 December 1945 – 29 February 2012 ) was an English recording artist, actor, and businessman, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name.

* English in the British Isles until its consolidation as a national language in the Renaissance and the rise of Modern English ; subsequently internationally under the various states in or formerly in the British Empire ; globally since the victories of the predominantly English speaking countries ( United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others ) and their allies in the two world wars ending in 1918 ( World War I ) and 1945 ( WW II ) and the subsequent rise of the United States as a superpower and major cultural influence.

* 2012 – Davy Jones, English singer, songwriter and actor ( The Monkees ) ( b. 1945 )

* 1945 – John Helliwell, English musician ( Supertramp )

* 1945 – David Tremlett, English artist

* 1945 – Jeremy Bulloch, English actor

* 1945 – Jacqueline du Pré, English cellist ( d. 1987 )

* 2009 – Hugh Hopper, English bassist and composer ( The Wilde Flowers and Soft Machine ) ( b. 1945 )

* 1945 – Ken Livingstone, English politician

* 1945 – John Motson, English sportscaster

* 1945 – Virginia Wade, English tennis player