Pearl Harbor

“December 7, 1941 – a date,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously proclaimed, “which will live in infamy.” The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii brought America into World War II.

On Thursday, Americans will mark the 76th anniversary of the raid. Here are some facts surrounding that fateful day:

What happened?

Just before 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, hundreds of Japanese planes made a surprise raid on Pearl Harbor, a major U.S. Navy base near Honolulu, Hawaii, according to the History Channel. During the raid, which was launched from aircraft carriers, nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, were damaged or destroyed, as well as more than 300 aircraft. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and at least 1,000 were wounded.