Today marks the 81st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
On December 7, 1941, the Japanese military made a surprise raid on the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 U.S. service members and civilians. There more than 1,100 people injured in the attack, which also destroyed aircraft and naval vessels.
The following day, Congress declared war with Japan, leading the U.S. into World War II. During an address to a joint session of Congress, then-President Franklin Roosevelt famously called December 7, 1941 “a date which will live in infamy.”
In 1994, Congress designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Each year, commemorations are held in Hawaii and across the country. American flags from coast to coast will be flown at half-staff in honor of the anniversary.
