On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise aerial attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack began at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian time and involved 353 Japanese aircraft in two waves targeting the US Pacific Fleet and airfields on Oahu Island
. The assault aimed to cripple the US Pacific Fleet to prevent it from interfering with Japanese military operations in Southeast Asia. The first wave bombed hangars and parked aircraft at airfields while torpedo bombers attacked battleships moored in the harbor, including USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma. The USS Arizona exploded after a bomb hit its ammunition magazine, killing 1,177 crew members, and the USS Oklahoma capsized. Overall, twelve ships were sunk or beached, nine others damaged, and over 160 aircraft destroyed or damaged
. The attack resulted in over 2,400 American deaths and more than 1,100 wounded, including Navy, Marine, Army personnel, and civilians. It shocked the nation and led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to declare war on Japan the following day, marking the United States' entry into World War II. The attack also prompted declarations of war by other countries and subsequent military actions in the Pacific
. Additionally, on the same day, Japan shelled Midway Island, damaging the US Marine Corps base there
. In summary, December 7, 1941, is remembered as the day Japan launched a devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, leading to significant American losses and the US entering World War II
