On This Date 76 Years Ago, Pearl Harbor Was Attacked By Japanese Forces, December 7, 1941

By MassCentral on December 7, 2017

On this date 76 years ago, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japanese forces, leaving over 3,400 casualties and pushing the U.S. to join the Allies in World War II.

Japan launched the surprise attack with airplanes and submarines on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor.

More than 2,400 Americans were killed and over 1,000 were wounded during the bombings. Over 300 aircrafts and 19 Navy ships, including eight battleships, were damaged or destroyed.

The next day the U.S. declared war against Japan. When asking Congress for a Declaration of War, President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously called the attack “a date which will live in infamy.”

On Dec. 11, 1941, the U.S. declared war on Germany and Italy, joining the Allies in World War II.