Pearl Harbor

Definition

Pearl Harbor refers to the surprise military attack conducted by the Japanese navy on the United States naval base in Hawaii on December 7, 1941. This attack led to the entry of the United States into World War II.

Analogy

Imagine you're playing a video game and your opponent unexpectedly attacks your home base while you're not prepared. That's what happened when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

Related terms

D-Day: The Allied invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944, which marked a turning point in World War II.

Island Hopping: A military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific Theater of WWII, where they selectively targeted and captured specific islands as stepping stones towards Japan.

Manhattan Project: The top-secret U.S. research project that developed atomic bombs during WWII. The bombs produced were later used against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.