Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, was born on May 8, 1884, in Lamar, Missouri. After a stint in the army during World War I, he entered politics, serving as a county judge and then being elected to the US Senate. Thrust into the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in April 1945, Truman oversaw the closing months of World War II, including the controversial decision to use atomic bombs against Japan. His term was dominated by the Cold War, with the implementation of the Truman Doctrine to counter Soviet expansion and the creation of NATO, a military alliance designed to deter Soviet aggression. He left office in 1953 and lived out his retirement in his hometown of Independence, Missouri, where he passed away on December 26, 1972.
