Pearl Harbor

On 7 December 1941, a deadly surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor by Japanese planes sank or damaged 21 warships and destroyed more than 150 planes on nearby airfields. The attack, which was launched without a declaration of war, killed more than 2,000 Americans

The neutral USA entered World War II only when a Japanese fleet launched a big surprise air raid against its Pacific naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on 7 December 1941. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

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Video podcastConspiracy: was Pearl Harbor an inside job?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Pearl HarborEpisode 5. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pearl Harbor aftermath: the fallout from the attack

The USS West Virginia burns at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941

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The destroyer USS Shaw explodes in a massive fireball at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. The attack led almost immediately to Germany declaring war on America, and so brought Stalin an unexpected ally of colossal potential power, says Laurence Rees. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

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Pearl HarborEpisode 2. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The battleship USS California following the attack at Pearl Harbor

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Pearl Harbor: 12 facts about the surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet

A gathering storm: why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor in 1941?

Pearl HarborEpisode 1. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Caught off guard: why didn't America see Pearl Harbor coming?

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Pearl Harbor: 5 frontline stories from people who were there

John Buckley and James Holland next to a fighter plane at the Imperial Museum, London

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American president Franklin D Roosevelt

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The USS Arizona burning in Pearl Harbor following the Japanese attack. To the left of her are USS Tennessee and the sunken USS West Virginia. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

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The attack on Pearl Harbor and physics through the ages. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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Pearl Harbor: 3 historical films about the Japanese attack on the US fleet