Updated Dec. 7, 2023 at 12:15 p.m.
Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was a day that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said “will live in infamy.” It would finally bring the United States into World War II, though with a decimated Pacific fleet from the Japanese surprise attack.
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Why Did Pearl Harbor Happen?
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was the result of a decade of Tokyo’s degrading relationship with the U.S, and the threat that Washington would enter World War II on the side of the Allies.
The day after the attack, the U.S declared war on Japan, and three days later on Germany. A massive mobilization effort followed and a wave of anti-Japanese suspicion led President Roosevelt to pass an executive order that resulted in the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans in camps.
How many people died in the bombing of Pearl Harbor?
There were 2,403 U.S military personnel counted as fatal casualties in the hour-long attack on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, along with 68 civilians. More than 1,000 people were wounded. The U.S fleet was badly damaged: more than 180 aircrafts and 19 Navy ships were destroyed.