The USS Nevada burns following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese military. (Picture: CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Every year on December 7, Americans across the nation will remember the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said the events of Pearl Harbour was an event ‘which will live in infamy.’
The attack – which took place in 1941 – was a major factor in bringing the United States into the Second World War, with the conflict escalating both in the Pacific and on the European front.
But what exactly happened on that day over 80 years ago?
What happened in the Pearl Harbour attack?
Japanese planes made a surprise incursion on Pearl Harbour – a major US Navy base near Honolulu, Hawaii.
During the surprise attack, which was launched from Japanese aircraft carriers, nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, were damaged or destroyed, as well as more than 300 aircraft.
How many people died at Pearl Harbor?
More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and at least 1,000 more were wounded.
When did the attack occur?
The Japanese targeted the US Navy base at 8am on Sunday December 7, 1941.
This caught the American forces off guard and helped maximise the potential damage inflicted from the attack.
Why did the attack happen at Pearl Harbour?
American intelligence officials thought that the Japanese attack would take place in one of the nearby European colonies in the South Pacific: the Dutch East Indies, Singapore or Indochina – given that Pearl Harbour was located 4,000 miles away from Japan.
However, almost the entire US Pacific Fleet was docked around Ford Island in the harbour, and hundreds of airplanes were squeezed onto adjacent airfields.
This made Pearl Harbour an easy target for the Japanese.
The war between both nations had been brewing for decades after Japan grew hostile to China – and they declared war on China in 1937.
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American officials responded to this with economic sanctions and trade embargoes.
The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.
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