Accessibility Links

  • Skip to Main Content
  • Skip to Main Navigation
  • Skip to Footer
Subscribe Directory Newsletter History quizzes
Sign In Register
Sign In Register
Settings Sign out
My account
There seems to be a problem, please try again.

Thank you for registering to HistoryExtra

If you subscribe to BBC History Magazine Print or Digital Editions then you can unlock 10 years’ worth of archived history material fully searchable by Topic, Location, Period and Person. Please enter your number below.

Or skip this step

You have successfully linked your account!

Success!

Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. You will shortly receive a receipt for your purchase via email.
Visit My Account to manage your subscription, profile and preferences.
There seems to be a problem, please try again.

Thank you for registering to HistoryExtra

History Extra Logo

The official website for BBC History Magazine, BBC History Revealed and BBC World Histories Magazine

    Period
    Period
    View all Period
    Roman
    Viking
    Anglo-Saxon
    Medieval
    Tudor
    Second World War
    View all Periods
    People
    People
    View all People
    Tutankhamun
    Richard III
    Henry VIII
    Elizabeth I
    Queen Victoria
    Winston Churchill
    View all People
    Topics
    Topics
    View all Topics
    Kings and queens
    Weird and wonderful
    Sex and love
    Social history
    Religious history
    Women's history
    Historical Q&As
    Heritage visits
    View all Topics
    Podcast
    Podcast
    View all Podcast
    Everything you ever wanted to know about...
    Princes in the tower
    Exclusive podcasts
    Podcast transcripts
    TV & Film
    Events
    Events
    View all Events
    Virtual history events
    Medieval Life and Death
    Magazines
    Magazines
    View all Magazines
    BBC History Magazine
    BBC World Histories Magazine
    BBC History Revealed
    Special editions
    About us
    Subscribe
    Subscribe
    Directory
    Newsletter
    History quizzes
    1. Home
    2. Pearl Harbor

    Pearl Harbor

    On 7 December 1941, a deadly surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor by Japanese planes sank or damaged 21 warships and destroyed more than 150 planes on nearby airfields. The attack, which was launched without a declaration of war, killed more than 2,000 Americans

    Mixed signals: A shortwave radio listening post in California, set up to report and translate broadcasts from Asia. (Photo by AP/Shutterstock)
    Second World War

    Caught off guard: why didn’t America see Pearl Harbor coming?

    The USS West Virginia burns at Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941
    Second World War

    What if… Japan hadn't attacked Pearl Harbor

    Firemen tackling a blitz fire at St Paul's Cathedral, London
    Second World War

    The Second World War: a timeline

    Advertisement
    Pearl Harbor attack
    Second World War

    America and WW2: when, how and why did the US get involved, and why they didn’t enter sooner?

    The destroyer USS Shaw explodes in a massive fireball at Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941. The attack led almost immediately to Germany declaring war on America, and so brought Stalin an unexpected ally of colossal potential power, says Laurence Rees. (Bettmann/Getty Images)
    Second World War

    Why December 1941 was the most important month of the Second World War

    The battleship USS California following the attack at Pearl Harbor
    Second World War

    12 things you (probably) didn’t know about Pearl Harbor

    Pearl Harbor sparked an aircraft-manufacturing drive – and, for the first time, allowed US women to perform jobs previously held only by men. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
    20th Century

    Pearl Harbor aftermath: the fallout from the attack

    Lauren Bruner and Iyozo Fujita
    Second World War

    Pearl Harbor: 5 frontline stories from people who were there

    A mushroom cloud over Nagasaki, Japan
    Second World War

    WW2 10 of the most important Second World War dates

    Advertisement
    The Pearl Harbour attack
    Second World War

    The 11 most significant battles of the Second World War

    American president Franklin D Roosevelt
    Second World War

    Life of the Week: President Franklin D Roosevelt

    The USS Arizona burning in Pearl Harbor following the Japanese attack. To the left of her are USS Tennessee and the sunken USS West Virginia. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
    Second World War

    The shock of Pearl Harbor

    podcast-logo_v4_8-4ad4aa6
    Second World War

    The attack on Pearl Harbor and physics through the ages

    A Japanese photograph shows Mitsubishi dive bombers warming up on the deck of a carrier in the Pacific before their attack on Pearl Harbor in the early hours of 7 December 1941. (Photo by Corbis via Getty Images)
    Second World War

    Britain’s Pearl Harbor

    pearl-harbor-3-248ce12
    Second World War

    Pearl Harbor: Three films

    Want to be updated when there is HistoryExtra news?

    Sign up to receive our newsletter!

    Thanks! You're now subscribed to our newsletter.

    By entering your details, you are agreeing to HistoryExtra terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.

    Site footer

    History Extra Logo
    • Visit us on Facebook
    • Visit us on Twitter
    • Visit us on Instagram
    • Subscribe to our RSS feed
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Code of Conduct
    • Subscribe
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us
    • Vacancies
    • Licensing
    • Find Us
    • Manage cookies
    Immediate Media
    History Extra is owned and published by Immediate Media Company Limited. BBC History Magazine and BBC World Histories Magazine are published by Immediate Media Company Limited under licence from BBC Studios Distribution. © Immediate Media Company Ltd 2021.
    Partner logo