Blog 4: Pearl Harbor by Margaret Cashman

At 7:48 in the morning on December 7, 1941, most people were still asleep, not having any idea that the world would be forever changed in a matter of 90 minutes. On this day the Imperial Japanese Navy conducted a surprise military attack on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor. The shock of the Americans was almost tangible, as was their rage. So far America had vowed to stay out of World War II, but after this bombshell from the Japanese support for non-interventionalism ceased to exist. The photo below is of the USS Arizona in the midst of its demise. This single explosion, brought upon by a modified 40 cm shell, accounted for nearly half of the total 2,402 fatalities. After this catastrophic event, The United States entered the Second World War with a vengeance and allied itself with the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. December 7 will always be remembered with grief but it was the spark that ignited the American fury that blazed though the war in tribute to the fallen at Pearl Harbor.