Pearl Harbor, Hawaii — It was just before 8:00 am on a beautiful Sunday morning in late 1941 when hundreds of Japanese warplanes attacked the Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, dragging the United States into World War II.
The surprise attack by forces of the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941 destroyed or damaged nearly twenty American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and more than 300 planes. The attack claimed more than 2,400 American lives, including civilians, and wounded another 1,000 Americans.
The next day, Monday, December 8th, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress, asking them to declare war on Japan.
Tuesday, December 7th is the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the event that finally forced a previously-reluctant United States into World War II.
Overview of Pearl Harbor during December 7th attack. Photo taken by Japanese pilot
USS Shaw Exploding during Pearl Harbor Attack
Pearl Harbor devastation
General view of Pearl Harbor during Japanese attack
USS West Virginia (left) and USS Arizona (right) after Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
