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A Day That Shook The World: Pearl Harbor attacked

Tuesday 07 December 2010 01:00 GMT
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The USS Shaw exploding during the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941
The USS Shaw exploding during the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941 (Getty)

On 7 December 1941 the Japanese conducted a surprise military strike on the US naval base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii – an act of aggression which would lead America to enter the Second World War.

Japanese bombs succeeded in sinking four US naval battleships, killing over 2,400 people, leaving the base in ruins.

A day after the strike America declared war on Japan bringing the country into full participation in the global conflict that started in 1939.

Watch this British Pathe newsreel for original footage of the bombings and America’s declaration of war.

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