Early in the morning on Dec. 7, 1941, Japan's Imperial Navy launched a surprise airstrike on the US military base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. As a result, 2,403 Americans were killed, and more than 1,000 were wounded.
The United States had considered itself neutral in World War II up until that point and entered battle the following day on the side of the Allied forces. Of the eight Navy battleships stationed at Pearl Harbor at the time, four were sunk in the attack. All but the USS Arizona were raised and restored to go on and fight in the war.
Eighty years later, the attack on Pearl Harbor and the US's involvement in WWII show a long and complicated legacy. Americans responded with horror and began fully preparing themselves to enter the war. There were also countless acts of racism and senseless violence against Asian Americans. This anti-Asian bias later led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans and Japanese citizens living in the United States.
These photos show the shocking violence of a day that shaped modern history and global politics. Each year, a group of survivors gathers at the site to pay homage to the thousands of soldiers and civilians who died on Dec. 7, 1941.
