PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii— At 7:55 a.m. on December 7th, 1941, history was forever changed. It was the deadliest attack in American history, and it lasted less than 2 hours. In it, more than 2,300 people were killed, and 1,000 more were wounded.
The American military took a hit, too. 20 battleships were destroyed, as were more than 300 airplanes. One day later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war. They agreed, resoundingly. Only one vote was cast against the war. Two years into the conflict, the U.S. had finally joined World War II.
Today, the U.S.S. Arizona memorial stands in Pearl Harbor, over the site of the actual U.S.S. Arizona boat. It’s considered a National Historic Landmark. Washington D.C.’s World War II memorial also honors Pearl Harbor. It has President Roosevelt’s historic quote emblazoned on a marble plaque, reading, “Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941. A date which will live in infamy… no matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.”
