Nothing beats a nice, hot, delicious Sunday brunch. And nothing complements the awesomeness of a great Sunday brunch like eating it on warm, beautiful, tranquil Oahu.
That's probably similar to what everyone stationed near Pearl Harbor was thinking on Sunday, December 7, 1941…that is, until they and their breakfast were unexpectedly bombed by Japanese war planes.
But the breakfast barrage was just the starting point for Japan's attack on U.S. military installations and equipment in Hawaii. Six major airfields were hit in a coordinated, staged attack that barely lasted three hours. By the time all was said and done, 2,400 Americans were dead, planes and ships everywhere were in flames, and breakfast was totally off the menu.
Know what was on the menu instead? War.
That's right: up until this point, the United States had done its best to stay out of the whole war thing brewing in Europe. But after this, after an unprovoked attack on its own soil, FDR used the Pearl Harbor Address to let everyone know that America was ready to get its hands dirty.
And get its hands dirty it did, committing unprecedented resources toward fighting and eventually winning what would become known as the Good War.
Lesson learned: don't mess with breakfast.
Questions About Warfare
- Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
- What happened to the economy of the United States during and after the war?
- Why did Japan ally itself with the Axis Powers?
- How has the isolationism-versus-interventionism debate in America changed since World War II? What are your feelings on the subject, and why?
Chew on This
It was inevitable that the United States would become a major player in World War II; the attack on Pearl Harbor just sped up what everyone already knew was going to happen.
If Pearl Harbor hadn't been attacked, the United States might have been able to avoid getting militarily involved in World War II; our allies had it under control.