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Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor

Updated 1:02 PM ET, Fri November 30, 2018

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Smoke and flames rise from the USS Shaw in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. The Japanese Imperial Navy launched the surprise strike on the US naval base at the harbor, located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The assault killed more than 2,000 Americans and destroyed a significant number of US battleships and airplanes.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Smoke and flames rise from the USS Shaw in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. The Japanese Imperial Navy launched the surprise strike on the US naval base at the harbor, located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The assault killed more than 2,000 Americans and destroyed a significant number of US battleships and airplanes.
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Crewmen of the Japanese Hiryu aircraft carrier prepare fighter planes for takeoff before the raid on Pearl Harbor.<br />
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Crewmen of the Japanese Hiryu aircraft carrier prepare fighter planes for takeoff before the raid on Pearl Harbor.
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This is believed to be an image of the first bomb dropped during the raid on Pearl Harbor; it shows a Japanese plane pulling out of a dive near the explosion.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
This is believed to be an image of the first bomb dropped during the raid on Pearl Harbor; it shows a Japanese plane pulling out of a dive near the explosion.
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An aerial view of the harbor shows the destruction of the USS California, the USS. Maryland, the USS Oklahoma, the USS Tennessee, the USS West Virginia and the USS Arizona.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
An aerial view of the harbor shows the destruction of the USS California, the USS. Maryland, the USS Oklahoma, the USS Tennessee, the USS West Virginia and the USS Arizona.
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Airmen at Hickam Field watch as bombs explode. The Hickam Field airbase was heavily targeted during the attack, and Japanese bombers sought to prevent counter-attacks from US forces by disabling American planes on the ground.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Airmen at Hickam Field watch as bombs explode. The Hickam Field airbase was heavily targeted during the attack, and Japanese bombers sought to prevent counter-attacks from US forces by disabling American planes on the ground.
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Smoke plumes envelop the USS Arizona battleship as it keels over before sinking in Pearl Harbor.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Smoke plumes envelop the USS Arizona battleship as it keels over before sinking in Pearl Harbor.
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A US Army B-17E lands at Hickam Field on December 7. The base sustained heavy losses of both personnel and planes during the attack.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
A US Army B-17E lands at Hickam Field on December 7. The base sustained heavy losses of both personnel and planes during the attack.
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A fire spreads through the Army barracks at Hickam Field.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
A fire spreads through the Army barracks at Hickam Field.
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Oil burns on the ocean's surface near the Naval Air Station shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Oil burns on the ocean's surface near the Naval Air Station shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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Smoke from burning oil billows over Hickam Field.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Smoke from burning oil billows over Hickam Field.
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A Japanese plane plummets in flames after it was hit by US Naval anti-aircraft.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
A Japanese plane plummets in flames after it was hit by US Naval anti-aircraft.
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The USS California settles on the bottom of the harbor after being bombed and torpedoed by the Japanese.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
The USS California settles on the bottom of the harbor after being bombed and torpedoed by the Japanese.
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Wives of US military officers return to their residences after an explosion at Pearl Harbor.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Wives of US military officers return to their residences after an explosion at Pearl Harbor.
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A rescue boat retrieves a seaman from the burning USS West Virginia.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
A rescue boat retrieves a seaman from the burning USS West Virginia.
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Crowds gather in New York's Times Square as news bulletins flash across the New York Times building announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Photos: Day of infamy: Attack on Pearl Harbor
Crowds gather in New York's Times Square as news bulletins flash across the New York Times building announcing the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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01 Pearl Harbor Attack02 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED03 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED04 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED05 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED06 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED07 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED08 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED09 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED10 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED11 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED12 Pearl Harbor Attack13 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED14 Pearl Harbor Attack15 Pearl Harbor Attack RESTRICTED
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. More than 2,000 Americans were killed amid the bombings, which destroyed a significant number of US battleships and airplanes. In a speech to Congress the following day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called the day of the attack "a date which will live in infamy." Shortly thereafter, Congress passed a declaration of war against Japan, casting the United States into World War II.