On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Just before 8 a.m., waves of bombers and fighters struck battleships, airfields, and other military targets. The attack sank or damaged numerous vessels, including the USS Arizona, and destroyed hundreds of aircraft. More than 2,400 Americans were killed and about 1,000 were wounded. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war against Japan, calling December 7 “a date which will live in infamy.” The attack brought the United States fully into World War II and reshaped its role in global affairs.
