Today is the 75th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor and Here are Some Epic Photos

Each year on December 7th we reflect on the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform, and today is special because it marks the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day. To help commemorate the event, we thought we’d share a few photos of the devastating attack on our Naval fleet in Hawaii.

The images you see here are from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), our country's repository for veterans' records and a wealth of holdings that include historical materials, digitized photos, video footage and other records chronicling our military’s history and battles.

The Japanese attack of December 7, 1941 has been well documented in books, films and photographs, and is an event forever etched in the memories of generations of Americans. When the attack occurred, the vast majority of U.S. battleships in our Pacific fleet were in port at Pearl Harbor, with U.S. fighter planes parked on the airfield.

As historical records later revealed, radar station operators reported a sighting of unidentified planes heading toward Hawaii minutes before the attack occurred. Unfortunately, the report was discounted by central command headquarters, leaving the military no time to prepare or respond.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to that tragic day as one that would “live in infamy," for reasons that are obvious in the many photos documenting the carnage.

In total, 2,403 Americans perished on December 7, 1941, and another 1,178 were wounded. On this day of remembrance, you can find a wealth of information and more images on the NARA website.

There’s also an Instagram page that commemorates today’s 75th Anniversary.

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