Final answer:
The Attack on Pearl Harbor took place on December 7, 1941, resulting in the deaths of over 2,000 Americans and propelling the U.S. into World War II. Four battleships were sunk, but the fleet's aircraft carriers were spared, leading to an escalated conflict and the U.S. declaration of war against Japan and its allies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The date of the Attack on Pearl Harbor was December 7, 1941. This surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii led to significant losses and had profound implications. On this infamous day, Japan launched two waves of attacks, deploying 353 planes from six carriers and hitting all eight U.S. battleships present, sinking four: the USS Arizona, the USS Oklahoma, the USS West Virginia, and the USS California. Additionally, the attackers destroyed nearly 200 U.S. aircraft and killed 2,403 Americans, with another 1,178 wounded. The Japanese objective was to prevent the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with their planned military actions in Southeast Asia, but despite the heavy blow to the U.S. naval forces, the fleet's aircraft carriers were out to sea and escaped destruction.
The significance of the Attack on Pearl Harbor is multifold. It marked the entry of the United States into World War II, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt describing it as "a date which will live in infamy.," and the subsequent declaration of war against Japan, and shortly after, against Germany and Italy as well. The attack galvanized a previously isolationist American public, uniting the nation against the Axis powers and shifting the balance of the war. What followed was a significant mobilization of U.S. military and economic resources toward the war effort.