More than three-quarters of a century have passed since the “day that will live in infamy.” Just before eight o’clock in the morning on December 7, 1941, a Japanese force made up of 350-plus planes, supported by submarines, cruisers, destroyers, and battleships, attacked Pearl Harbor, a U.S. naval station on Oahu, Hawaii. In total, 2,403 people died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan destroyed 19 American ships, including the USS Arizona, which remains underwater. You know what came next. The aftermath of the attack plunged the country into WWII, making it, as The New York Times reported the next morning, “…the first time in its history, the United States finds itself at war against powers in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.” But even now, 77 years later, there’s probably a lot you don’t know about Pearl Harbor. We look at five lesser-known facts about one December day that changed the course of history. Courtesy of The National WWII Museum The “Sleeping Dragon” Almost Stayed Asleep It’s a day taught in every history book, and arguably one of the most transformative days in American history-next to Independence Day and 9/11. But according to historian and author of Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness Craig Nelson, it should have never happened in the first place. Speaking with Popular Mechanics, Nelson says failed negotiations on both sides of the table failed to prevent war. Amazon Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness Erroneously, America pigeonholed Japan into a similar fascist system like… [Read full story]
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