Battleship row at the hieght of the attack, as Pearl Harbor fills with black smoke from burning oil.

After December 7, 1941, “Pearl Harbor” changed from being the name of a place to a reference to an event that affected the entire world.

Overnight, the attack changed the United States from being an isolationist country trying to stay out of the ongoing war in Europe, and brought her into the world community determined to avenge the attack and “Remember Pearl Harbor.”

The face of war itself changed. Battleships became less important as carrier-based attack planes, now with great mobility, were used instead. For example, in the 1940′s no airplane had the speed and range to fly 4000 miles across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, stage an attack, and then fly back to base. But with aircraft carriers, Japan was able to bring their airfields with them, and attack at much closer range. This helps explain why Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was such a surprise.

In this section of our website, we describe the attack and its aftermath in some detail. We hope you will find it useful as you explore this fascinating topic. Eyewitness stories of the attack from both military and civilian survivors are featured in our Pearl Harbor Child book and DVD.

Next: Living in Pearl Harbor