On Dec. 7, 1941, the United States was attacked by Japanese air and naval forces.

According to History.com, "At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault."

More than 2,400 Americans were killed including 1,177 aboard the battleship Arizona. Referred to as a "date which will live in infamy" by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the attack on Pearl Harbor marked the beginning of America's fight in World War II.

Before the war ended in 1945, 292,000 U.S. service personnel were killed in battle and 671,000 wounded.

The New York Daily News reports thousands have gathered at Pearl Harbor today for a remembrance ceremony.

Visit History.com for more facts about Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona.