Japan had little chance of victory—so why did it attack Pearl Harbor?
Long-simmering tensions with the U.S. over expansion in Asia came to a head on December 7, 1941.
The U.S.S. Shaw explodes during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. More than 2,400 people died and some 20 ships, including the U.S.S. Shaw, were destroyed or damaged.
Image courtesy of akg-images/Pictures from History
ByEditors of National Geographic
Published December 6, 2022
• 8 min read
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