"A date which will live in infamy..."

"Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- A date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." That statement is from President Franklin Roosevelt's "Declaration of War" speech to Congress the day after the biggest attack on American soil until 9/11.

It was just a normal Sunday in Honolulu, Hawaii. While the rest of the world was at war, America's military was sitting back and enjoying their day of rest. People were either sleeping in or going to church. The crew of the USS Arizona had won the 1941 "Battle of Music" which was the contest consisting of all of the ship's bands. As a reward, the entire crew of the Arizona was given permission to sleep in that morning. The United States could not have been more unprepared; the planes, the ships, the equipment, and the overall lack of strategic organization and awareness of our military at Pearl Harbor was suicidal.

The surprise was complete. The plan was executed to perfection. The planes came in two waves; the first hit its target at 7:53 a.m., the second at 8:55. By 9:55, it was over. Nothing but smoke and destruction filled the blue skies of Pearl Harbor. 2, 403 dead, 188 destroyed planes, and 8 destroyed battleships. One of these was the Battleship Arizona, which took 1,177 lives alone. A bomb went through the deck into the magazine compartment of the ship which almost blew the bow of the ship out of the water (this was soon before when the picture above was taken).

This attack is the most devastating attack in this nation's history. This is because of the overall impact of the attack and the fact that it eventually led the United States into World War II. In one stroke, the Japanese action silenced the debate that had divided America on the Nazi war in Europe.