December 7, 2016

Today, December 7, marks the 75^th anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack officially drew the United States into World War II (1939-1945). Thousands of people have attended events that began last week at Pearl Harbor, capped by today’s headline ceremony at Kilo Pier attended by survivors of the attack and a number of dignitaries. The U.S. Navy co-hosted events with the National Park Service, with support from the city and county of Honolulu, the state of Hawaii, the governor’s office, Hawaiian members of Congress, and other branches of the U.S. military.

Events today at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, recall the Japanese attack 75 years ago on Dec. 7, 1941. The World War II battleship USS Missouri sits in the right foreground. The white Arizona memorial is at left. Credit: National Park Service

Events this morning at Pearl Harbor begin precisely at 7:50 a.m. local time (12:50 p.m. Eastern Time), the moment the first Japanese planes hit nearby Hickam Field on Dec. 7, 1941. Following events today include the laying of a wreath at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the ringing of the Freedom Bell at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park, a band performance at the Battleship Missouri Memorial, a four-team college basketball tournament, ceremonies at the USS Oklahoma Memorial on Ford Island, and ceremonies at Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Army Airfield honoring the U.S. Army and its 25th Infantry Division. A private interment ceremony will take place at the USS Arizona Memorial, where the ashes of two Arizona survivors who recently passed away will be buried with their comrades who died in the ship 75 years ago. A memorial parade down Honolulu’s Kalakaua Avenue and a closing ceremony will finish the day’s formal events.

The poignant USS Arizona Memorial sits above the sunken remains of the battleship itself. Of the ship’s 1,511 crew members, 1,177 died in the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Credit: National Park Service

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Two waves of Japanese warplanes sank several U.S. ships, including four battleships. They also destroyed more than 180 U.S. aircraft. The Japanese killed 2,400 Americans but lost only about 100 of their own troops. The attack was a success for Japan at the time. But bringing the United States into the war proved disastrous for Japan and its citizens. The attack on Pearl Harbor has since become one of the iconic moments in U.S. history.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was a key event in U.S. history. Following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on the U.S. naval base, the United States declared war on Japan and formally entered World War II (1939-1945). Credit: © AP Photo

Dec. 7, 2011

Veterans and their families gathered at Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the surprise attack on the United States Pacific Fleet by Japanese military forces in 1941. About 120 of the few remaining survivors of the attack attended the ceremonies. In announcing the attack to the country, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 7 “a date which will live in infamy.” The next day, Congress declared war on Japan, bringing the United States into World War II (1941-1945), which was already raging in Europe and parts of Asia. “Remember Pearl Harbor” became the rallying cry for the country.

The attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese bombers was a key event in U.S. history. Following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on the U.S. naval base, the United States declared war on Japan and formally entered World War II (1939-1945). AP/Wide World

The attack on Pearl Harbor began at about 7:55 a.m., as the first of two waves of Japanese warplanes began bombing the U.S. Fleet. The chief targets were 8 battleships among the 180 American vessels anchored in the harbor. The attack killed 2,388 people at Pearl Harbor and wounded about 2,000 others. It destroyed or damaged 21 U.S. ships–most of the nation’s Pacific fleet–and more than 300 planes. Many of the dead were aboard the U.S.S. Arizona, which remains where it sank. A memorial was constructed over the sunken battleship, which entombs lost members of the crew. The Japanese lost 29 aircraft in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack was a success for Japan. But bringing the United States into the war proved disastrous for the Japanese Empire and its citizens.

Additional World Book articles:

• Back in Time (United States, Government of the, 1942)
• Japanese American internment
• Miller, Dorie
• Nimitz, Chester William
• World War II (The war in Asia and the Pacific)
  
• Yamamoto, Isoroku