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Pearl Harbor wasn't a war, it was a surprise attack by the Japanese on the large U.S. Navy facility at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It occurred on December 7, 1941, which was a Sunday, and it completely turned around American opinion about entering World War II (which had already been going on for two years in Europe and longer in Asia). Before Pearl Harbor, most Americans had wanted to stay out of what they regarded as a "foreign" war, but once we'd been attacked, we jumped into the fight. President Roosevelt spoke to Congress the next day and asked for a declaration of war, which of course Congress voted for overwhelmingly.

The Japanese attack was quick and effective. Of the eight U.S. Navy battleships in the harbor; four were sunk and the other four damaged. Three cruisers, three destroyers and other ships were damaged or sunk. 188 U.S. Navy planes were destroyed, most of them while still on the ground - there just hadn't been time for their crews to get to the airfields, get them ready for flight, and get them up in the air before the Japanese planes turned around and headed back to their aircraft carriers. 2,402 Americans were killed and 1,282 were wounded.

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12y ago

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