September 2, 1945, marked the official end of World War Two, after Japan formally surrendered to the Allied powers aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
The surrender brought an end to a six-year global conflict that had involved dozens of countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific, and resulted in tens of millions of deaths.
By 1945, Japan was facing military defeat. Its navy and air force had been severely weakened, while Allied bombing campaigns had devastated many of its cities. The United States was also preparing for a major invasion of the Japanese mainland.
A major turning point came on July 16, 1945, when the United States successfully tested the world's first atomic bomb in New Mexico.
On July 26, the United States, Britain and China issued the Potsdam Declaration, demanding Japan's unconditional surrender. Japan initially rejected the demand.
On August 6, an American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands of people.
Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.
The surrender. PHOTO/Getty Images
The situation worsened for Japan when the Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8 and launched an offensive against Japanese forces in Manchuria.
Facing overwhelming pressure, Emperor Hirohito intervened and backed surrender. On August 15, he announced Japan's surrender in a radio address to the Japanese people.
However, the war was not formally concluded until September 2, 1945.
On that morning, more than 250 Allied warships were anchored in Tokyo Bay. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the surrender document on behalf of the Japanese government, while General Yoshijiro Umezu signed for Japan's armed forces.
General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, then signed on behalf of the Allies. Representatives from the United States, China, Britain, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands and New Zealand also signed.
The ceremony lasted about 20 minutes.
With the signatures completed, World War Two officially came to an end on September 2, 1945.
The war fundamentally changed the global political order, led to the occupation and reconstruction of Japan and Germany, and contributed to the emergence of the United States and Soviet Union as rival superpowers.
It also paved the way for the creation of the United Nations, established in 1945 with the aim of preventing another global conflict.