Attack on Pearl Harbor
Oahu, Territory of Hawaii, United States
What happened
Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto planned the attack and Admiral Chuichi Nagumo led the carrier fleet against the U.S. Pacific Fleet, commanded by Admiral Husband Kimmel, and the Army forces of General Walter Short. Japan was expanding into Southeast Asia, and after the United States stopped selling oil to Japan, Japanese leaders decided to cripple the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Early on the morning of Sunday, 7 December 1941, planes from six Japanese aircraft carriers attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in two waves. Four battleships were sunk.
Why it matters
Result: Japanese victory. Leaders: Husband E. Kimmel / Walter Short against Isoroku Yamamoto / Chūichi Nagumo. Why it matters: The surprise attack brought the United States into World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called 7 December 'a date which will live in infamy'.
What came next
The United States declared war on Japan the next day. Germany and Italy then declared war on the United States, which declared war on them.
Did you know?
The battleship USS Arizona was never raised. Drops of oil still rise to the surface near the USS Arizona Memorial, and some call them 'the tears of the Arizona'.
Timeline
- July 1941The United States halts oil exports to Japan.
- 7 December 1941Japanese aircraft attack Pearl Harbor.
- 8 December 1941The United States declares war on Japan.
- December 1941Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.
- 30 May 1962The USS Arizona Memorial is dedicated.