Pearl Harbor
On December 7th, 1941, on a sleepy Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor near Hawaii. The United States and Japan had been edging toward war for decades, and Japan finally made the first move. Although this attack only lasted two hours, the results were devastating. Japan's plane was simple, destroy the Pacific fleet. That way, the Americans would be fight back as Japan's forces spread across the South Pacific. The Japanese were able to destroy almost 200 airplanes, 8 battleships, and about 20 American naval vessels. Over 2,500 Americans were killed in this surprise attack; and another 1,000 were injured. President Franklin D. Roosevelt immediately asked Congress to declare war on Japan a day after the attack. Congress approved this declaration with vote of 388 to only 1 dissenting vote. Germany and Italy showed their alliance with Japan and declared war on the United States three days after Roosevelt's declaration was approved by Congress. More than two years after WW II started, the United States finally joined. President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated that December 7th, 1941, is "a date which will live in infamy".