December 7, 1941: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, leading the U.S. to enter World War II.
February 19, 1942: President Franklin D. Roosevelts signs Executive Order 9066, providing for the exclusion of any person from any area at the discretion of the military.
March 2, 1942: General John L. DeWitt, head of the Western Defense Command, divides parts of the West Coast into Military Area 1 and Military Area 2, from which people of Japanese ancestry would be excluded.
March 24, 1942: The first Civilian Exclusion Order is issued by the Army, giving families one week to prepare for removal from their homes.
June 2, 1942: All Japanese in Military Area 1 in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona have been removed into Army custody.
March 17, 1944: Relocation orders are revoked and exclusion is lifted, effective January 2, 1945.
December 1945: All camps besides Tule Lake are closed.
March 1946: The camp at Tule Lake closes.
April 10, 1988: The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 is passed by Congress and signed by President Ronald Reagan. The Act apologizes for internment and provides for reparations to survivors.