On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack consisted of two waves of aircraft that inflicted heavy damage, sinking several battleships and destroying many aircraft. The attack killed over 2,400 Americans and drew the United States into World War II. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was planned by Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and caught the American fleet off guard, crippling the Pacific fleet. The attack had a significant impact on mobilizing the U.S. for war against Japan and its allies.

1. Pearl Harbor December 7th, 1941

2. What?Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike attack on the United States by the Japanese that was meant to prevent the U.S Pacific Fleet from interfering with military action of Japan. A series of two “waves” by the military lasting two hours long

3. When and Where?December 7th 1941December 8th in JapanThe air attack began at 7:48 a.m Hawaiian timeSecond attack- 8:55 a.mNaval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

4. Why?In September 1940 the U.S placed an embargo on JapanThey couldn’t export steel, scrap iron, and aviation fuel to JapaTwo days after Japan signed a neutrality treaty with the Soviet Union the U.S, Britain, and the Netherlands froze all Japanese assetsPrevented them from buying oil

5. Who?Attack by the Japanese on the U.SAdmiral Isoroku Yamamoto, and Admiral Nagumo commander of the Japanese fleet initiated the planning of the attack on the U.SPearl Harbor was under the command of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Lt. General Walter C. Short

6. How it StartedIn early 1941 Admiral Yamamoto started preparing plans for the conquest of the resources from South AsiaPearl Harbor was a vital attack for Yamamoto’s planThe military plan had three phasesAttack on Pearl harbor Extend the perimeter of Japan’s sphere of InfluenceThen move onto Northern Solomons. New Guinea, Java, Sumatra, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, the Philippines, and Boreno

7. Damage CausedFour U.S Navy Battleships were sunkSank and damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer188 U.S aircraft were destroyed2,402 men killed1,282 men woundedJapanese lost 29 aircraft and five submarines65 men killed or woundedOne Japanese sailor was captured

8. How it Effected the U.SLed the U.S directly into World War IIGermany and Italy declared war on the U.S December 11thWe quickly recovered and formed our military again and had a victory at the Battle of MidwayFour years later the U.S destroyed the Japanese Empire

9. Today’s EffectBetter radar equipment has been made for scouting to prevent this from happening Unified the divided American population like never beforeMany American Lives were lost

10. Pearl Harbor TodayToday Pearl Harbor is Port and Naval StationThe USS Arizona was one of the main ships that sank that day so now there is a concrete hull placed their to symbolize the loss of the ship as a memorialDedicated on May 30th, 1962

11. FactsJapanese citizens were just as surprised as AmericansReferred to “A date that will live in infamy”The day of the attack Britain declared war on JapanPresident at the time was Franklin D. RooselveltPearl Harbor wasn’t in a state of high alert when the attack started, the anti-aircraft guns were left unmanned

12. Citations"Attack on Pearl Harbor." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 3 Apr. 2011. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor"Pearl Harbor History: Why Did Japan Attack? Eyewitness Accounts, Casualty List, Background." Attack on Pearl Harbor: Ships, Heroes and Speeches. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. http://www.pearlharbor.org/history-of-pearl-harbor.asp"Attack At Pearl Harbor, 1941." EyeWitness to History - History through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It. 1997. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl.htm"Attack on Pearl Harbor." World War II History Info. 2001- 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. http://worldwar2history.info/Pearl-Harbor/"Pearl Harbor - The Bombing - Facts." Erik Anderson [.net]. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. http://www.erikanderson.net/pearlharbor/facts.html"Pearl Harbor: The Day of Infamy, 7 December 1941." Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_pearl_harbor.html