On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise military strike against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

The attack was intended to neutralize the U.S. Pacific Fleet, thereby preventing it from interfering with Japan's planned expansion in Southeast Asia.

It was a pre-emptive strike, conducted without a formal declaration of war.

The attack was planned and led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

In two waves, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked the base, sinking or damaging numerous U.S. battleships.

The USS Arizona was famously destroyed when a bomb detonated its forward magazine, killing 1,177 crewmen.

The attack killed over 2,400 Americans and wounded more than 1,000.

Crucially, the U.S. Navy's three aircraft carriers were at sea and escaped the attack, which would prove vital in the coming months.

The day after the attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war, calling December 7th 'a date which will live in infamy.'

The attack on Pearl Harbor immediately brought the United States into World War II.