“A date that will live in infamy” . This is a quote said to congress by Commander in Chief Franklin Roosevelt. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. Pearl Harbor was a surprise for the United States, a grand plan for the Japanese Empire, and a gateway to World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor has taken a toll on countries around the world. That day in 1941 was and will forever be the most infamous act of the Japanese Empire. On December 7, 1941, the definitive disaster in United States history occurred. “Pearl Harbor is a lagoon island on the island of Hawaii”. The U.S. Pacific Fleet's deep-water naval base was docked and filled with U.S. military personnel. With that calm, on Sunday morning, the last thing anyone expected was an attack. The United States had previously cracked Japan's code regarding the surprise attack, but it was too late to figure out the location. Because the Japanese attack was so terrible, many lives were lost and America's mindset changed dramatically. “2,335 military personnel and 68 civilians were killed in this attack.” Unprepared for this surprise attack, high-flying Japanese planes and underwater submarines were poised to cause serious damage. Bombs were dropped on land, on American planes, and on ships. One was the very famous USS Arizona, which sank within seconds. Overall 9 ships were sunk and 21 ships were seriously damaged. Under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Japanese successfully damaged the naval base at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese Empire became an empire in 1868. They rapidly expanded their empire and became rulers over 7,400,000 square kilometers of land. "They quickly became known for war crimes against their own...... middle of paper......wiki/Japanese_Empire (accessed May 22, 2011)."Pearl Harbor - Articles, videos, images and articles by History.com Facts." History.com - History Made Every Day - American & World History. http://www.history.com/topics/pearl-harbor (accessed May 21, 2011). "Pearl Harbor - Wikipedia, l 'free encyclopedia.' Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_harbor (accessed 22 May 2011). 'The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: the end of World War II.' NewsInHistory .com |. A chronicle of America's past. http://www.newsinhistory.com/feature/bombing-hiroshima-nagasaki-end-ww-ii (accessed May 22, 2011). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007306 (accessed May 21, 2011).“World War II History of the United States.” http://www.us-history.com/pages/h1661.html (accessed May 2019) 25, 2011).