Decades have passed, but the loss of thousands won't be forgotten even to this year. On December 7, 1941, Japan's aerial assault on the US Navy base near Honolulu killed more than 2,400 American citizens, of which nearly half were Marines and sailors serving on the USS Arizona battleship.
Each year, survivors of Pearl Harbor, current members of the military, tourists and locals participate in ceremonies honouring those killed in the attack. But this year, due to COVID-19 pandemic, there won't be any mass gatherings at the naval base in Hawaii. But this year, the ceremony will be live-streamed, complete with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., when the attack took place, a fly-past followed by a speech by the commander of the US Pacific Fleet.
Pearl Harbor: Key facts from history
On the 79th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, here are some facts about what happened on the day. It's important to remember the history to commemorate the deceased.
On December 7, 1941, at 7:55 a.m., hundreds of Japanese planes raided the Pearl Harbor, destroying nearly 20 American vessels, including 8 battleships and more than 300 aircraft.
The Pearl Harbor Visitors Bureau puts the official death toll of Americans at 2,403, which includes 2,008 Navy personnel, 109 Marines, 218 Army service members and 68 civilians.
Of the deceased, 1,177 were from the USS Arizona. The wreckage now serves as the memorial to the incident, where lay the bodies of 900 men killed in the attack.
When the Japanese bomb hit the vessel, it ignited a million pounds of gunpowder and the vessel sank within nine minutes, the marines along with it.
It was in August 1994 that Congress designated December 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
Though the exact number of survivors remain unclear, two are believed to be alive. Donald Stratton who was a sailor on the USS Arizona died in February. Mickey Ganitch is a 101-year-old survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, who visited the ceremonies every year since the attack will observe a moment of silence from home due to COVID-19 pandemic.
