Pearl Harbor Attack: US Enters World War II
Thirty-five3 Japanese aircraft launched a devastating two-wave strike that sank or damaged eight U.S. battleships and killed 2,403 Americans, instantly shattering domestic isolationism. The United States declared war on Japan the following morning, triggering a chain reaction where Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S., pulling the nation fully into both the Pacific and European theaters of World War II.
December 7, 1941
85 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on December 7
Soldiers intercepted Marcus Tullius Cicero near his Formia villa, decapitating the orator on orders from Marcus Antonius. By silencing the Republic’s most vocal…
The soldiers found him in his litter, fleeing to the coast. Cicero stuck his head out — told them to get it over with. They cut off his head and both hands. Mar…
Byzantine Emperor Justin II, wracked by recurring seizures of insanity, adopted his general Tiberius and proclaimed him Caesar on this day in 574 AD. This sudde…
Justin II's mind shattered in waves. The seizures came without warning — violent fits where the Byzantine emperor would thrash, scream, rage at phantoms only he…
Qarmatian forces crush the Sajid emir Yusuf ibn Abi'l-Saj near Kufa, dragging him into captivity after a decisive defeat. This victory shatters Sajid control ov…
Connecticut's third-oldest highway wasn't built for cars — it was carved for settlers pushing inland from the coast. In 1696, colonial authorities authorized a …
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