Pearl Harbor

Newspaper articles about Pearl Harbor detail the destruction caused during the darkest two hours and 20 minutes in the history of the American Navy. The Japanese sneak attack of December 7, 1941, not only killed over 2,000 American sailors, it plunged the United States headlong into World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor on that placid Sunday morning in 1941 would become a signature moment for a generation. Like the attack on the Maine and the Battle of the Alamo before it, the attack on Pearl Harbor became the rallying point for American soldiers in every theatre of combat during World War II.

Although America did not enter World War II until after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the events leading up to the attack showed a growing desire for US entry into the growing conflict. The United States had been providing China with material since the beginning of their war with Japan in 1937 and had been secretly sending materials to Great Britain to aid in their fight against Germany. In fact, many US commanders believed that the Japanese would launch a strike against the US at some point during 1941. By mid-July, relations between the United States and Japan had deteriorated significantly, causing President Roosevelt to place an oil embargo on Japan and close US ports to Japanese ships. In November, talks between the US and Japanese governments came to a boiling point and by the last days of November, talks had broken down completely. Even though there were warnings of an imminent Japanese attack, no one predicted the attack on Pearl Harbor.

NewspaperARCHIVE.com, the internet's largest newspaper database, is providing a free archive of material relating to the history of Pearl Harbor. Within the archive you can find articles about the US annexation of Hawaii, the building of the Naval Station and the designation of Pearl Harbor as the home of the Pacific Fleet as well as articles about the memorial erected on the wreckage of the USS Arizona. Click on the timeline above to view newspapers in chronological order or begin searching the newspaper pages with your own key words.