Events That Changed the Course of History

It s been 75 years, and yet December 7, 1941, is still a date that will go down in the memories of Americans as one of the most devastating parts of World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise strike against the United States by the Japanese. This event would lead the United States to declare war on Japan, Germany and Italy, joining World War II two years after it began. Follow the path that led to this attack, in which more than 2,400 American soldiers and sailors died and another 1,000 were wounded. After decades of tension between the two countries, Japan decided to destroy the Pacific Fleet. The damage done to the naval base and those who had been stationed there was horrific, with four battleships being sunk with men on board. However, as devastating as the attack was, the fleet was not completely destroyed, and the strike only served to awaken a sleeping giant, as Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto put it. This attack led to the immediate engagement of U.S. forces in World War II, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and America s transition from an isolationist policy to one of global involvement. Take a closer look at this terrible day in history and the impact it would have on America, Japan, Germany and the outcome of World War II.