On December 7, 1941 without warning the Japanese attacked The United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor was a great success because within hours Japan had destroyed or damaged 21 ships and over 300 planes crippling the United States Pacific Fleet.  Up until the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that the United States would stay neutral.

    On December 8, 1941, the United States, Canada, and Great Britain declared war upon Japan.

    On December 9, 1941, China declared war on the Axis.

    On December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

    World War II was now a global event.