Before World War II, the US was a Pacific power

Japan’s imperial expansion in Asia set the stage for war with the US

Between 1931 and 1941, Japan seized Manchuria, launched a full-scale war in China and occupied French Indochina, moves that intensified its demand for strategic resources and triggered escalating US-led embargoes—particularly the 1941 oil cutoff—which sharply raised the risk of war between the two countries.

The US Pacific strategy sought control of key islands to close in on Japan

The US adopted a two-pronged "island hopping" campaign across the Central and Southwest Pacific from 1943–44, deliberately targeting strategically crucial but less-defended islands. This allowed forces to bypass heavily fortified Japanese strongholds and build airfields for bombers aimed at Japan, drastically accelerating the path toward Tokyo while conserving manpower and resources.

Before Pearl Harbor, the US was a nonbelligerent ally to the Allied powers

Between September 1940 and December 7, 1941, the United States remained officially neutral—yet President Roosevelt incrementally shifted policy from “cash‑and‑carry” to Lend‑Lease, funneling critical military aid to Britain and other allies without entering the war.

Hitler declared war on the United States four days after Pearl Harbor

Despite having no treaty obligation to join Japan’s fight, Hitler declared war on the US on Dec. 11, 1941. The move pulled America into the European theater and is widely seen as one of Hitler’s most strategic blunders.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor largely because it was running out of oil

This video traces how US-led sanctions and Japan’s near-total dependence on imported oil pushed Japanese leaders toward a high-risk plan: seize Southeast Asian oil fields and neutralize the American Pacific Fleet, hoping Washington would negotiate rather than fight.

The US asked Japan to leave China less than two weeks before Pearl Harbor

On Nov. 26, 1941, Secretary of State Cordell Hull issued a note calling on Japan to withdraw from China and Indochina—terms Tokyo saw as impossible. The note confirmed to Japanese leaders that diplomacy had collapsed, accelerating plans for the Pearl Harbor strike (which had been formally approved Nov. 5).

Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor caused heavy losses but failed to cripple the US navy

Japan’s air assault sank or damaged 18 warships (including eight battleships) and destroyed 188 aircraft, killing 2,403 Americans, yet all three Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers were absent and survived, and vital infrastructure like oil depots and repair yards remained intact—preserving core US naval power and enabling a rapid recovery. Watch original reporting here.

What happened to Americans who were in Japan during Pearl Harbor?

When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941, roughly 10,000 American civilians were stranded in Japanese-occupied territory. Tense diplomatic negotiations eventually secured two prisoner exchanges conducted via ship across 20,000 nautical miles to return nearly 3,000 Allied civilians, while Japanese Americans in North and South America were sent in the opposite direction, many to a country they had never called home.

See how newspapers broke the news of the attack around the world

This collection showcases front pages from cities around the globe reacting to Pearl Harbor in real-time—capturing the shock, fear and uncertainty as the US entered World War II.

Hawaii lived under martial law for nearly three years after Pearl Harbor

After the attack, Hawaii was placed under sweeping military rule—curfews, censorship, warrantless arrests, ID papers, and mass detentions transformed everyday life. More than 2,000 people were arrested within 48 hours of the attack, and the islands remained under martial law for nearly three years.

Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 speech framed World War II as a global fight for universal rights

Eleven months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt outlined four fundamental freedoms that, in his words, people "everywhere in the world" ought to enjoy—speech, worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

When German submarines lurked in US coastal waters

During World War II, German submarines (also known as U-boats) prowled the Southern coast of the US in 1942 and 1943, sinking more than 60 ships and killing 600 Allied soldiers. The campaign is less well-known, since the major battles in Stalingrad and Midway happened at the time. Several of these submarines and the ships they sank are now popular diving spots.

The attacks prompted a quick jump in American public support for war

In a Gallup poll taken days after the attack, an extraordinary 97% of Americans approved Congress declaring war on Japan—reflecting overwhelming national unity in the wake of the strike.

The Panama Canal boosted the US as a world power in trade, engineering, and finance

The effort proved the US could achieve grand engineering projects while granting it influence over (and benefitting economically from) a major interoceanic channel and its host country, Panama.

Wartime conferences exposed cracks in the US–Soviet alliance

At the Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam Conferences, Allied leaders coordinated WWII strategy—but deep disagreements over postwar Europe foreshadowed the Cold War. The USSR’s push for influence in Eastern Europe clashed with US and British calls for self-determination.

The Monroe Doctrine helped lead to the American occupation of territory abroad

This podcast explores how the policy motivated a century of US military intervention throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific—covering the annexation of Hawaii, the Spanish-American War, and occupations of Cuba, Haiti, and Panama.

The perplexing Battle of Los Angeles in 1942 generated swaths of UFO conspiracies

On Feb. 24-25, 1942, weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack, a US military radar warned of enemy aircraft. A citywide blackout went into effect, powerful searchlights were lit up, and US forces fired artillery at what they believed to be the enemy. However, no confirmed enemy planes were ever identified. Eyewitnesses reported seeing large objects flying overhead, and much of the public speculated about UFOs and extraterrestrial attacks.

Comic books were a major part of American propaganda efforts during WWII

See how US comic books, alongside international counterparts, served as powerful wartime propaganda tools from 1941 to 1945—boosting morale, promoting war bonds, and demonizing Axis powers through the use of iconic heroes and patriotic messaging.

The Flying Tigers: American fighter pilots who fought for China in WWII

Read the story of the Flying Tigers, a unit of American pilots, many Chinese-Americans, hired by the Chinese in 1941 to fight the Japanese in the skies. While the US wasn't officially at war with Japan until later on, some of the earliest American "victories" over the Japanese were won by the Flying Tigers. Read more of this amazing bit of aviation history here.

The UK was already in a depression before the US Great Depression took hold

The US Great Depression was felt globally, but the severity and length of different countries’ economic downturns varied. For instance, Japan was the first country to exit its depression.

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.

How Taiwan residents view China and the US

There is widespread support in Taiwan for increased economic and political ties with the US, compared to China. This deep dive of data from the Pew Research Center breaks down how various segments of Taiwan's population perceive the US and China individually and among other Asia-Pacific countries.

The power and influence of the American presidency have expanded significantly over time—far beyond what the founders envisioned.

The Pacific Northwest's last 'really big one'

More than 300 years ago, a shift in the Cascadia subduction zone caused the seafloor near the Pacific Northwest coast to drop by three to six feet. The force generated a massive tsunami that traveled across the Pacific and devastated Japan.

See how global nuclear arsenals surged—then shrank—by country since 1945

Worldwide nuclear stockpiles peaked at over 60,000 warheads in the mid‑1980s during the US-Soviet arms race. Today, about nine nations collectively maintain roughly 12,000 warheads, with Russia and the US still holding the majority.

After World War II, pizza took off in the US

Pizzerias opened in cities throughout the 1920s and '30s, especially those with large Italian immigrant populations, but the cuisine didn't take off nationally until after World War II. Some credit that with American soldiers' exposure to the food while stationed in Italy; others point to the invention of the mass-produced gas-fired ovens, which made opening a pizzeria considerably easier. Below is a 1944 clip from the New York Times, the first time the paper mentioned pizza.

The US dollar is the most widely circulated currency in the world, and is involved in nearly 90% of global transactions

The United States has had a tumultuous relationship with Cuba since its 1959 revolution, highlighted by a nuclear crisis and a decades-long trade embargo.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

Explore an interactive map of battles from the American Revolution, along with detailed summaries of each engagement

Explore fun facts from the USPS, including unique post office buildings, a stamp that traveled past Pluto, and more.

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

In 1915, workers recovered a submarine-like vessel from the Chicago River, prompting fears of German espionage

While El Niño moves warm Pacific Ocean waters east along the equator, La Niña moves them west, shifting where rainfall will become more common for months.

The Beatles' US label rejected the band's first two singles, 'Please Please Me' and 'From Me to You,' with one executive calling the band 'dead in the water.'

An investigation suggests a Scottish island became awash in forever chemicals via seafoam and seaspray—raising questions about what that means for the safety of other coastal areas.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

Experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies, still under development, have long been funded by the US military.

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

Brandi Chastain, the star of the 1999 US victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup, was a last-second choice to take the penalty kick that sealed the victory.

Walt Disney's early film 'Alice's Wonderland' was a groundbreaking innovation in the silent film era

US housing costs have risen by roughly 175% between 1991 and 2026—but a growing number of Gen Zers are becoming homeowners anyway. In 2025, 4% of homebuyers were Gen Z, up from 3% the year before.

See a 3D reconstruction of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was home to an estimated population of 200,000 to 400,000.

According to the physics of black holes, our 4D reality may be a hologram—a projection of information coded on a 2D surface on the edge of the universe.

Poison ivy's characteristic rash is caused by an allergic response to an oily compound in the plant called urushiol.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth