The USS Arizona Memorial is fully open following the completion of preservation work

The Attack on Pearl Harbor

December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy.
Just before 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft launched from six carriers struck the U.S. Pacific Fleet at anchor in Pearl Harbor. Within two hours, eight battleships were damaged or destroyed, 188 aircraft lay in ruins, and 2,403 Americans had been killed. The first wave hit at low altitude with torpedo bombers; the second arrived twenty minutes later with high-level bombers and fighters strafing what was left.

The articles in this collection examine the attack from every angle: the diplomatic breakdown that preceded the first wave, the radar warning, the strikes on Battleship Row, and the strategic miscalculations the Japanese command made before, during, and after the raid — including the fateful decision not to launch a third wave against the harbor's fuel tanks and dry-dock facilities. Whether you're researching the chain of events, the human toll, or the immediate aftermath, you'll find primary-source accounts, ship-by-ship damage reports, and historian-led analysis here.

When you're ready to walk the harbor itself, book a guided tour of the USS Arizona Memorial and Battleship Missouri — the two sites that bookend America's entry into and victory in the Pacific War. For visitors short on time, the Pearl Harbor Excursion short tour covers the essentials in a single morning, with round-trip transportation from Waikiki.

The attack reshaped the twentieth century in under 110 minutes, drawing a divided isolationist America into the largest war in human history. The articles below help explain how, and why, those minutes still matter.

The Leader of the Japanese Striking Force

June 18, 2017 ·  
The planning of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was headed by Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku. Though he was the idea man who determined when and how the attack would take place, Yamamoto had no part in the actual attack, instead selecting another notable naval aviator to lead the Japanese Striking Force in its charge on Pearl Harbor. Within nine […]
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The Invisible Effects of Pearl Harbor

June 16, 2017 ·  
The effects of living through an event like the attack on Pearl Harbor are bound to be profound and lasting. Even for those who weren’t on the naval base itself at the time of the attack, being in proximity to it would have been enough to remove any sense of security they may have had. The noises […]
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More Facts About the Attack on Pearl Harbor

June 15, 2017 ·  
December 7th, 1941. It will forever be one of the most notable dates in American history, the day Japan launched a surprise aerial assault on an US naval base. We’ve gathered some random facts about the attack on Pearl Harbor to paint a broader picture of what the attack really meant in the long run. […]
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The Hull Note: The Final Piece Leading to War

June 07, 2017 ·  
Prior to the events of December 7th, 1941, the casual observer may have assumed that the United States was simply minding its own business when Japan conceived its malicious plan to send a strike force to Pearl Harbor. Initially, it seemed as if Japan struck without reason, beyond a fear that the United States would stonewall its […]
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The Lost Remains of the USS Arizona

June 06, 2017 ·  
Ask anyone who's been to Pearl Harbor about the USS Arizona and they’ll likely tell you about the memorial that sits in the middle of the harbor. As a guest at the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, you can visit the wreckage site of the ill-fated American battleship, but there’s actually more to […]
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The Reemerging Story of Ensign John England

June 03, 2017 ·  
The sinking of the USS Oklahoma occurred over 75 years ago and the story has been passed down across multiple generations, but it still has a profound effect on those linked to the over 400 sailors who perished as she sank to the bottom of Pearl Harbor. On December 7th, 1941, the Oklahoma came under fire from Japanese bombers and […]
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Japan Since Pearl Harbor: How a Nation Changed Its Views

June 02, 2017 ·  
At the time, it was a necessary action to solidify expansion through Asia and the Pacific. With the United States standing as a potential threat and roadblock, Japan would be without the means to achieve the very broad goals that it had in mind. With the US implementing trade embargoes, there seemed to be only […]
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Pearl Harbor by the Numbers

May 27, 2017 ·  
Sometimes it’s difficult to get a true feel for the scope of an event without concrete numbers to back up the information and make it come to life. You already know that the Japanese launched a devastating attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. You also know that this was the catalyst for […]
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The Importance of Remembering

May 26, 2017 · Chris 
Every year, as the attack on Pearl Harbor recedes further into history, it’s imperative that we don’t let the memory of the attack slip away. Memorials, commemorations, museum galleries – they all work together to help us remember that devastating day in 1941, the moment in American history that was pegged as a “Date which will live […]
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The Haunting Scenes of Pearl Harbor

May 23, 2017 ·  
There's no denying the devastation that was wrought on Pearl Harbor on the morning of December 7th, 1941. It’s evident at the USS Arizona Memorial, that sits in the middle of the harbor overlooking the remains of the mighty battleship for which it’s named. It’s clear from the stories that are retold throughout the World War II […]
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