Good morning! It's Sunday, Dec. 7, the 84th anniversary of the attack on Hawaii's Pearl Harbor. This week, we dug into the dramatic day that prompted the US to join the Allied forces in World War II, discovering fascinating lessons around torpedoes, how the Japanese imitated an earlier British attack, and the violent story of a Japanese pilot who crash-landed amid the battle.
Scroll down to learn whether you really live in a simulation, why a turkey company hosts a turkey hotline over the holidays, and more. Or visit 1440 Topics for primers on Economic Bubbles, the Environmental Protection Agency, or 285 others.
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— 1440 Topics Team |
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Dear Readers—Our Sunday edition delivers deep dives into interesting and relevant topics, helping you explore new ideas and feed your curiosity.
Instead of the news—which we cover Monday through Saturday—today we’ll bring you deeply researched overviews and the human-curated articles, podcasts, videos, and more that most fascinated us this week. |
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What happened at Pearl Harbor?
On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (watch visualization). The strike marked the culmination of a decade of rising tensions as Japan expanded its empire across East Asia and the Pacific. With its industrial capacity unable to match the United States in a long-term war, Japanese leaders opted for a preemptive blow designed to cripple American naval power.
The attack—which permanently sank three American ships, damaged 15 more, and killed 2,403 Americans—was a tactical success but a strategic failure. Japanese forces did not hit the base’s oil reserves, submarine facilities, or repair yards, all of which proved crucial in the months that followed. The US Navy ultimately refloated all but three damaged ships, returning many to combat.
Pearl Harbor was the deadliest attack on US soil at the time, jolting the public and neutralizing what remained of isolationist or anti-war sentiment. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed Congress (watch here), calling Dec. 7 “a date, which will live in infamy” as he requested—and received—a declaration of war against Japan. Four days later, Germany's Adolf Hitler declared war on the US, pulling America fully into both theaters of World War II.
... Read what else we learned about the day here.
Also, check out ...
> A downed Japanese pilot sparked a three-day standoff on the island of Niʻihau. (Listen)
> One Japanese commander went on "The Merv Griffin Show" decades later. (Watch)
> Small wooden tail fins modified torpedoes to operate in the harbor's shallow water. (Read)
> Watch how engineers salvaged almost every sunken ship at Pearl Harbor. (Watch) |
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In partnership with NativePath |
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Skin Starting To Sag? Here’s What To Do |
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Arthritis, 101
Arthritis is an umbrella term for numerous separate conditions that affect the joints of our musculoskeletal system. As damage accrues within the joints, arthritis typically results in progressive symptoms that include decreased motion, inflammation, and pain.
About one in five adults worldwide has been diagnosed with some form of arthritis. The associated pain and dysfunction from arthritis are a leading cause of disability across the globe. (Watch an explainer.)
Currently, there is no cure for arthritis. Once the smooth cartilage surface is lost, it cannot be restored. This is an area of intense research, including hope for the use of stem cells, targeted antibodies, and even synthetic cartilage transplants. In general, if the cause is mechanical—such as in degenerative arthritis or post-traumatic arthritis—medications, physical therapy, braces, and injections are used to manage the pain. If the origin is inflammatory, various medications are available to allow for decreased pain and increased motion.
... Read our full explainer on arthritis here.
Also, check out ...
> Why isn't there a cure for arthritis? (Watch)
> Women are more likely than men to have arthritis. (Read)
> Visualizing how rheumatoid arthritis works. (Watch)
> Examine the anatomy of a healthy knee. (More) |
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How hedge funds work
Hedge funds are private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets (such as the stock and debt of publicly traded companies), aiming to make money when markets are both up and down.
Like mutual funds, hedge funds pool money from investors and invest that sum on their behalf, but the similarities mostly end there. Hedge funds—with portfolios ranging from millions to tens of billions of dollars—buy and sell a wide range of assets, from bankrupt companies' debt to commodities like cattle. Mutual funds tend to buy and sell less complex assets, like stocks.
Hedge funds are now a multitrillion-dollar industry that impacts just about every corner of the economy. Yet, the SEC allows only “accredited investors,” such as family offices, university endowments, and high-net-worth individuals to invest in hedge funds due to their risky and complex strategies.
... Read our full write-up on hedge funds here.
Also, check out ...
> See the world's top 10 hedge funds. (Read)
> Understanding short selling, a risky investment strategy. (Read)
> "Vulture" hedge funds target distressed assets. (Read)
> The world's first hedge fund was launched in the 1940s. (Read) |
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In partnership with NativePath |
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Historybook: Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award winner Ellen Burstyn born (1932); Pearl Harbor naval base bombed by Japan, killing 2,403 US personnel (1941); Basketball legend Larry Bird born (1956); Apollo 17, the final Apollo moon mission, is launched (1972); Sound barrier-breaking pilot Chuck Yeager dies (2020). |
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