On this day in history, December 8th, 1941, 84 years ago t
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
DECEMBER 8TH
On this day in history, December 8th, 1941, 84 years ago today, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. His request was granted. He then spoke to the nation. He declared, in his now famous speech that, “December 7th, 1941 is a date that will live in infamy.” That, “no matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.”
President Roosevelt’s speech was given in response to the Pearl Harbor attack that had happened the day before. He spoke to our nation as the smoke from the attack was still billowing, and trapped men were still suffocating and dying; the infamous attack that killed 2400 Americans and launched us into World War II.
Japan may have started the fight, but we finished it. On this day in history we declared war on Japan. Three days later we declared war on Germany. The war with Germany ended on May 8th, 1945. The war with Japan ended a few months later, on September 2nd, 1945. The war with Japan ended only after we had sent two atomic bombs to rain down utter destruction on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
World War II cost America close to 470,000 lives. Around 670,000 American were wounded in that dreadful war. These lives would not have been harmed if Japan had not attacked us on Hawaii’s tropical shores. An attack, that as President Roosevelt proclaimed 84 years ago today, will always live in infamy.
