How Much Do You Know About Pearl Harbor History?

By: Allie T.
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
How Much Do You Know About Pearl Harbor History?
Image: YouTube

About This Quiz

Bombs, thousands of deaths, and another World War; the attack on Pearl Harbor was one of the most terrorizing events in the history of the United States. How much do you know about the attack, though? 

When bombs were dropped on Pearl Harbor, the United States was forced into another war that many people around the country desperately wanted to stay out of. After all, American foreign policy to that point had been one of isolationism, deciding to focus on American interest in the Western Hemisphere instead of conflicts across the ocean. 

With such an attack, however, a response was not only needed but required, and only a day after the attack, the United States would be launched headfirst into another global conflict with serious ramifications for every country involved. 

Do the events of World War II interest you? What about the attack that forced the United States to join? Can you remember all of the vital details that only a true historian would know? If so, then you should test your knowledge with this quiz!

This quiz isn't for anyone, however, and you'd better be ready for the challenge before you begin. If you think you're ready, though, take this quiz and prove it! 

What country attacked Pearl Harbor in the 1940s?
Japan
Japan is an island in the Pacific Ocean. It's capital is Tokyo.
Germany
Italy
France

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The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on __________.
Apr. 1, 1971
May 2, 1961
Dec. 7, 1941
It was a surprise attack on a Sunday. The Japanese chose Sunday, figuring that the U.S. would be less prepared for a day of attack because it was a favorite day to attend church.
Sept. 4, 1991

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The attack on Pearl Harbor was the Japanese retaliating against the U.S. _______________.
Treaty
Bombing
Guns
Embargo
The embargo kept the Japanese from receiving important items, such as steel and fuel for planes. Japan wanted more territory and the U.S. did not agree.

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The Japanese did not attack the ___________, which allowed the U.S. Navy to quickly get back on their feet.
Playing field
Food pantry
Fuel oil storage facilities
The Japanese also left standing the repair facilities and the the submarine base.
Hospital

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What was the largest ship sunk at Pearl Harbor?
USS Arizona
The USS Arizona was a Pennsylvania-class battleship, and it was the most significant ship loss of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ship sank to the bottom of the harbor.
USS NYC
USS Johnson
USS Washington

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On November 26, 1941, the Japanese sent _______ aircraft carriers to Pearl Harbor.
2
4
6
Akagi, Hiryū, Kaga, Shōkaku, Sōryū, and Zuikaku left Japan with the intention of launching 408 aircrafts.
8

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Who was the Japanese Admiral that led the attack on Pearl Harbor?
Toma Ikuta
Koji Seto
Isoroku Yamamoto
Isoroku Yamamoto was a Marshal Admiral of the Japanese Navy. He was the commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet during World War II.
Hiro Mizushima

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What company produced the engines for the Japanese fighter planes that is now a significant automobile company?
Ford
Mitsubishi
The Imperial Japanese Navy pilots flew the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. Mitsubishi used forced labor to build its products.
General Motors
Honda

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How many U.S. ships were a total loss?
1
2
3
Out of the twenty-one ships that were hit, only three battleships: Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah were complete losses.
4

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How many waves of attack did the Japanese launch on the U.S?
1
2
The first wave had 183 planes and targeted Oahu. The second wave had 171 planes.
6
9

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Pearl Harbor was located on what Hawaiian Island?
Mainland
Maui
Kauai
Oahu
The nickname for Oahu is "The Gathering Place." It is the 3rd largest Hawaiian island.

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The ships in Battleship Row are named after _________.
U.S. states
The ships in Battleship Row were named after the following states: Arizona, California, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
North American countries
Europian countries
U.S. cities

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What sunken ship was turned into a Pearl Harbor memorial?
USS Washinton
USS Arizona
The USS Arizona Memorial was built in 1962 and has over two million visitors a year. The memorial floats over the USS Arizona and is only accessible by boat.
USS Ohio
USS New York

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What was Battleship Row?
Rows of plants
Eight battleships in port
Battleship Row was created in 1919 when the Navy wanted to build a base and took the land/water from the Army Air Force. Because of its location in the middle of the harbor, it had the deepest place for ships to maneuver.
A neighborhood in Los Angeles
A row of restaurants

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How many Americans died in the attack on Pearl Harbor?
500
1, 404
2,403
With the 2,403 dead, there were 1,178 wounded. The Americans who died or were injured during the attack were considered to be non-combatants as there was no declaration of war yet.
3, 690

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___________ still leaks from the USS Arizona.
Heat
Fuel
The USS Arizona originally had 1.5 million gallons of fuel. Seventy years later 500,000 gallons still slowly leaks from the ship.
Water
Air

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Who was the President of the United States when Pearl Harbor was attacked?
John Kenndy
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt, also known as FDR ,was the 32nd President of the United States. He was president from 1933 until his death in 1945.
Bill Clinton
Jimmy Carter

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What code word was used by the Japanese?
Tora Tora Tora
In English it means “I have succeeded in the surprise attack.”
Bombs away
Die now
Fire Fire

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Because of the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed an executive order putting Japanese-Americans into ______________.
Ships
Skyscrapers
Relocation camps
The forced relocation of Japanese-Americans lasted from February 1942 - March 1946. 110,000 to 120,000 Americans were relocated to camps on the west coast.
Country cabins

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The attack on Pearl Harbor forced the U.S. to declare war on Japan on what date?
Sept. 11, 2001
Dec. 8, 1941
President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan in the most memorable speech he would ever give. In the speech, he called Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor a “deliberate deception."
Jan. 2, 1930
Apr. 6, 1951

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Who uttered the now famous phrase, "a date which will live in infamy?"
Franklin D. Roosevelt
"A date which will live in infamy," was said on December 7, 1941. President Roosevelt said that line in his speech to Congress on December 8th, asking for a declaration of war against Japan.
Mel Gibson
Harrison Ford
Donald Trump

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Japan’s allies,____________, declared war on the United States on December 11th.
France & Greece
China & Mexico
Germany & Italy
Germany, Italy, and Japan were the three principle players in the Axis alliance.
England & Scotland

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Which of the U.S. Battleships was not at Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack?
Colorado
The USS Colorado was in service from 1923 to 1947. She won seven battle stars for her service. In the end, she was sold for scrap.
New York
Florida
Ohio

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What did the U.S. servicemen call the Japanese planes?
Spaghetti
Pizza
Fries
Meatballs
They were identified as "meatballs" because of the Rising Sun, a large, red circle, on the side of Japanese planes.

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How many servicemen died aboard the USS Arizona?
1,110
Most of the deaths came when a 16-inch shell hit the Arizona's front magazine. At the time of the attack, the Arizona had a band on deck who perished instantly.
2, 300
5,450
6,200

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The Japanese called the attack on Pearl Harbor, Operation __________.
B
C
H
They called it Operation H with the "H" standing for Hawaii. It was later changed to Operation Z.
P

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The Japanese attacked __________ right after Pearl Harbor.
Germany
The Philippines
The Japanese had control of The Philippines from 1942 to 1945. The second most destroyed city during WWII was Manila.
France
England

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After being hit by torpedoes, the battleship ___________ was listed so badly that it turned upside down.
USS Alabama
USS Oregon
USS Oklahoma
It took several torpedoes to capsize the USS Oklahoma, with the fatal torpedo hitting the ship's hull.
USS Ohio

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Injured Japanese planes that could not make it back to the carriers were to land on the island of __________.
Maui
Alaska
Bora Bora
Niihau
Niihau was only a thirty-minute flight from Pearl Harbor. The inhabitants of the island had no phones or radios, so were clueless about what was happening over on Oahu.

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When did Imperial Japan surrender?
May 1, 1985
Mar. 26, 1976
Aug. 15, 1945
Japan announced their surrender on August 15, 1945, but didn't sign the treaty until September 2, 1945. This brought the horror of World War II to a close.
Sept. 7, 1991

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During the Tokyo Trials, the attack on Pearl Harbor was considered a__________.
War crime
It was determined at the Tokyo Trials that the attack was a war crime because it happened without a deceleration of war and happened without an explicit warning.
Accident
Warning
Training exercise

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What was the name of the captured Japanese serviceman?
Toma Ikuta
Ryo Nishikido
Kazuo Sakamaki
Kazuo was caught when his disabled submarine did not explode and he swam out to see what went wrong. Upon inspection, he became unconscious and was captured by David Akui.
Teppei Koike

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What time did the Japanese attack?
7:48 am
The attack on the base happened at 7:48 am Hawaiian Time.
4:47 am
8:47 pm
7:48 pm

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What does a Minelayer do?
Lie in a mine
Deploy naval mines
The Japanese destroyed one Minelayer in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Drops mines
Dig a mine

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In the attack, the Japanese lost five _______ submarines.
Tank
Nuclear
Neon
Midget
A midget or mini submarine is any sub under 150 tons. The Type A Kō-hyōteki-class mini sub was used in the attack.

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You Got:
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