Display of rare items marks 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor

To put it into context... Pearl Harbour happened after Britain had won the Battle of Britain, London was still being bombed, the Royal Navy had sunk the Bismark... basically world war 2 had been going on for nearly two years. What Pearl Harbour did was to open American eyes to the fact there was a war going on, and the partying and isolationist bubble they had been living in was suddenly popped.

You could say that by attacking Pearl Harbour the Japanese had set a train in motion which would turn the tide of the war and lead to its inevitable, horrific conclusion.

It's also interesting to note that a war which started with Polish on horseback riding against German tanks ended with the British and Germans (and to a lesser extent the Americans and Japanese) using jet fighters and the Americans using H bombs. 6 years... and the technology advanced at such an incredible rate. It ushered in the space age (thanks to captured and pampered Nazi rocket scientists).

@Thunderbird

Not H-bombs. They weren't around till the 50s.

World War II for the US had fundamentally already started as the Navy was escorting convoys a considerable distance across the Atlantic. Destroyers KEARNY and REUBEN JAMES had been torpedoed and the later sank with heavy loss of life. There were negotiations going on with Japan so I don`t think that people in power were ignoring Japan, The Ambassador to the US Admiral Nomura was, I think, negotiating in good faith but his leaders in Japan were using his efforts to cover their intentions to attack west and south.

I know of one Pearl Harbour sailor who was the on-coming 08-12 quarterdeck watch on a destroyer when the planes came. He ran up the colours, sounded the general alarm and when the others got to their battle stations, he was seen shooting at planes with a .45 pistol.

What Pearl Harbour did was to open American eyes to the fact there was a war going on, and the partying and isolationist bubble they had been living in was suddenly popped.

This is a nice historical revision that helps folk sleep snug in the night. But with a little extra reading, you'd realize america was involved 'indirectly' through supply of arms. It's recorded as well how certain parties in the government literally pushed Japan's hand despite intense diplomatic back and forth sessions. Bitter pill to swallow but it needed war to dig itself out of the depression. As envisioned today,the plan worked.

Have we learned from history? I get the feeling we're about to find out...