The morning of Dec. 7, 1941, started like any other morning in paradise when the sound of planes broke the peacefulness at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At 7:50 a.m. the first bombs dropped on Battleship Row and by 10 a.m. the last bombs had found their mark. This event was the worst peacetime attack the United States had ever encountered. The surprise attack was the catalyst for the United States to enter World War II.

A day later, President Franklin Roosevelt gave one of the most famous American speeches of the 20th century. To a joint session of congress he began, “Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941...a date which will live in infamy.” The speech lasted only about seven minutes, but started a cycle of events that led to the United States winning the second world war.