What happened
Japanese representatives signed the instrument of surrender aboard USS Missouri, formally ending the war after the atomic bombings and Soviet entry into the Pacific war.
Why it matters
This is the clean terminal marker for the global conflict. It also opens directly onto the next historical layer: occupation in East Asia, the acceleration of decolonization, and the consolidation of American power in the Pacific.
Notes
Use this as the final endpoint for the timeline and a bridge into postwar timelines.