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Japanese fighters surprise attack the American military base on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. This led to the United State's entry into the war after years of isolationism. 2,403 Americans were killed and 1,178 were wounded.
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Immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese turned their focus on the American territory of the Philippines. It is considered one of the worst defeats in American military history. American forces were forced to evacuate the island.
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Japan wins first major naval battle of the war, sinking the USS Houston.
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President Franklin Roosevelt makes Douglas MacArthur the commander of the Southwest Pacific Theater
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American Navy and Air Force win decisive victory over the Japanese Navy. This proved to be the turning point in the war for the Americans.
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Marines land on the islands of Tulagi and Guadalcanal to meet the Japanese. This marks the first amphibious invasion of the war for the Americans.
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U.S. Navy defeats Japanese Navy, allowing them supremacy of the Bismarck Sea. This greatly helped the American offensive in New Guinea.
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After bloody fighting, Americans complete the liberation of Guam from Japanese forces.
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American Navy wins decisive victory at Leyte Gulf off of the Philippines. This would prove extremely beneficial in taking back the Philippines.
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One of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Pacific begins here. This would end up being one of the last great battles before the end of the war.
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The final amphibious assault of the war. Okinawa would prove vital to the Americans plan of invading the Japanese homeland. Obviously, this invasion would never end up happening.
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General MacArthur declares the Philippines liberated, making good on his promise to return and take it back from the Japanese.
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The first atomic bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
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Americans drop the second atomic bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. The Japanese give their unconditional surrender to the Americans. The war is over.
