The gift of history~Pearl Harbor

For the past several months I have been wanting to learn more about World War II. 
Today, I learned more about Pearl Harbor, things I had never known before. 
History can be a gift.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of theUnited Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers. Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and the four others present were damaged. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 men were killed^[12] and 1,282 wounded. The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day (December 8) the United States declared war on Japan.

"World War II for us began at Pearl Harbor, and 1,177 men still lie entombed in the battleship Arizona. America suffered…but America grew strong. It was not inevitable. The times tried our souls and through that trial, 

we overcame."

(photos courtesy of:google image, article courtesy of: wikipedia)