Gunfire. Boom. Smoke. Screaming. These sounds and sights were witnessed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Thoughts of war between Japan and America soon became a reality. On this day in history, the Japanese naval force launched a full scale attack on Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu. The unimaginable thought of the United States of America joining World War II was unheard of. On December 8, 1941 the United States declared war on Japan. This marked the day the United States was brought into World War II. The bombing at Pearl Harbor was considered one of the most significant events in American history.
To start off, Pearl Harbor wasn’t just an out of the ordinary attack. There was several reasons why Chuichi Nagumo Isoroku Yamamoto, leader of Japan at the time, called for an attack on Pearl Harbor. There was tension built up between the United States and Japan until finally the United states decided to put forth an embargo (“One Thing Leads To Another”). The embargo blocked all crucial materials, such as aviation fuel and steel (“One Thing Leads To Another”). Japan also believed if they
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The first wave of Japanese aircraft arrived at 7:55 a.m., local time, this included 181 dive, horizontal, and torpedo bombers (“Military.com Resources”). At 8:40 a.m., the second wave of bombers were in route to Pearl Harbor (“Military.com Resources”). This consisted of 170 various aircraft (“Military.com Resources”). The American Navy was in shock from the first attack and was not expecting a second attack. Due to the loss of most of the Pacific Fleet, aircraft, and loss of life, the Americans had little to no chance to successfully fight back. The following day President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. In the article “Pearl Harbor” he quoted,”A date that will live in Infamy. This will mark the day that the United States of America was forced into World War