A rescue boat retrieves a seaman from the burning USS West Virginia after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
In pictures: The attack on Pearl Harbor
A rescue boat retrieves a seaman from the burning USS West Virginia after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Library of Congress

Published 12:07 AM EST, Wed December 7, 2022

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.

Smoke and flames rise from the USS Shaw.
Smoke and flames rise from the USS Shaw.
Library of Congress
Crewmen of a Japanese aircraft carrier prepare fighter planes before the raid on Pearl Harbor.
Crewmen of a Japanese aircraft carrier prepare fighter planes before the raid on Pearl Harbor.
The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
This is believed to be an image of the first bomb on Pearl Harbor; it shows a Japanese plane pulling out of a dive near the explosion.
This is believed to be an image of the first bomb on Pearl Harbor; it shows a Japanese plane pulling out of a dive near the explosion.
AP
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.
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.
Corbis/Getty Images
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.
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.
Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Smoke envelops the USS Arizona before it sank.
Smoke envelops the USS Arizona before it sank.
AP
A US Army aircraft lands at Hickam Field on December 7. The base sustained heavy losses during the attack.
A US Army aircraft lands at Hickam Field on December 7. The base sustained heavy losses during the attack.
Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty Images
A fire spreads through the Army barracks at Hickam Field.
A fire spreads through the Army barracks at Hickam Field.
AP
Oil burns on the ocean's surface near the Naval Air Station.
Oil burns on the ocean's surface near the Naval Air Station.
VCG Wilson/Corbis/Getty Images
Smoke from burning oil billows over Hickam Field.
Smoke from burning oil billows over Hickam Field.
AP
A Japanese plane plummets in flames after it was hit by US anti-aircraft.
A Japanese plane plummets in flames after it was hit by US anti-aircraft.
AP
The USS California settles on the bottom of the harbor after being bombed and torpedoed by the Japanese.
The USS California settles on the bottom of the harbor after being bombed and torpedoed by the Japanese.
Library of Congress
Wives of US military officers return to their residences after an explosion at Pearl Harbor.
Wives of US military officers return to their residences after an explosion at Pearl Harbor.
Mary Naiden/AP
Crowds gather in New York's Times Square as news bulletins about the attack flash across the New York Times building.
Crowds gather in New York's Times Square as news bulletins about the attack flash across the New York Times building.
Robert Kradin/AP