The Damage
More than 2,300 sailors and more than 50 civilians, a person who is not in the military, were killed. In addition, over 1,100 people were injured in the attack. 21 U.S. Naval ships, including eight battleships, were destroyed or damaged by the bombs and torpedoes. The biggest loss was the USS Arizona battleship which was hit by an armor piercing bomb that hit an ammunition magazine causing a huge explosion. The ship sank in 9 minutes, killing 1,177 sailors inside. The bombs also caused total destruction and/or damage to over 300 planes sitting on the ground in airfields.
The USS Arizona sinking in the attack at Pearl Harbor
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Why It Happened
World War II had been going on in Europe and Asia for two years before the Pearl Harbor attack happened. The United States stayed out of this war, but was monitoring the situation. Japan, who was in the war, wanted to attack and take over much of the Asian continent. To better monitor Japan's movements, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the Pacific Fleet of the Navy to set up their base in the Hawaiian Islands, which is located in the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan.
Map of Pacific Ocean with Japan, the Hawaiian Islands and the United States highlighted
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With the United States Navy now so close, the Japanese knew that it would be difficult to invade and take over other Asian countries. This was a major reason that the attack on Pearl Harbor was ordered. The Japanese believed they could destroy this base and deter, stop or discourage, the United States from interfering with what the Japanese wanted to do on the Asian continent. This did not happen. Instead, on December 8, 1941, President Roosevelt, in his request to Congress to enter the war, called December 7, 1941, ''a date that will live in infamy.'' The United States was now involved in World War II.
Lesson Summary
On December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. There were a number of ships and aircraft lost in this attack, but nothing compares to the several thousand lives that were lost in this attack. The United States declared war on Japan the next day and officially entered World War II.
