10 Most Important Events In History Caught On Film
9. The Sinking Of The USS Arizona - 7 December 1941
When: 7 December 1941
Where: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
What: Though it was raging in Europe and Asia at the time, the United States remained on the outside of combat operations during World War II. That is, of course, right up to the point when Japan launched a sneak attack against the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.
At the time of the attack, the nation's aircraft carriers were out to sea, but there were several Super-Dreadnought Battleships moored in the harbor, including the USS Arizona. The Japanese launched an aerial attack from six carriers with planes carrying heavy bombs and torpedoes. The event was utter chaos, but one of the most devastating events to happen that day was captured on film.
The Japanese managed to directly strike the Arizona four times, and the last bomb that hit managed to penetrate the armored deck near the magazines. This resulted in a massive secondary explosion, destroying most of the interior of the ship, which broke in half, burned, and sank quickly.
There were 1,177 people killed on board the USS Arizona, which amounted to around half the total number of American casualties that day. The video of the explosion managed to capture the ship in full-frame just as the bomb hit, which helped to later determine exactly how the vessel was destroyed.