December 7, 1941: The Day The World Changed Forever

Wednesday marks the 81-year anniversary of the sneak on Pearl Harbor, and today is an important reminder of all those who died and fought back.

In the early morning hours of December 7, 1941, a massive Japanese air attack was launched on the American naval base on Oahu, Hawaii, and as soon as the first bomb dropped, the world changed forever.

Japan launched a massive surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to bring America into WWII. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

More than 2,300 brave Americans were killed as two waves of hundreds of Japanese planes and several submarines beared down on the service members just enjoying the morning in Hawaii.

Pearl Harbor was attacked December 7, 1941. (Photo by H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images)

It was a devastating blow to the American military. Never before had the enemy reached out and touched our navy like that before. We lost multiple ships, had several more damaged and our Pacific fleet's capacity for war had been greatly degraded.

It was a monumental victory for Japan.

There's just one thing the Japanese never counted on: American resolve.

Pearl Harbor led to America becoming the world's greatest superpower.

Once the dust settled, the USA got back on its knees, dusted itself off and put a beatdown on the Axis powers that is still the most impressive military accomplishment America has ever pulled off.

America entered WWII, cruised through the Pacific dismantling the Japanese's evil grip on the region, hammered them on Midway and closed out the show with two atomic bombs to officially destroy the Japanese empire.

At the same time Marines hopped islands in the Pacific, young American men carrying M1 rifles and Thompson submachine guns kicked in the front door of Europe and defeated the Nazis.

America entered WWII after Pearl Harbor. (Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

When it was all said and done, the USA had become the most powerful country in the world, and that's a distinction we've never given up.

The world changed forever on that fateful morning. On December 6, 1941, America was a country still trying to rebound from the Great Depression. We were far from a military power. In fact, we had a very small army that still relied on horses to a degree.

Thousands died at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

By the time the atomic bombs fell in 1945, America had no true peer. Even the Soviet Union couldn't come close to matching our ability to produce war technology or our capacity for global domination.

While hating America might be a sexy thing to do, it's not reflective of reality. We're not the bad guys. In fact, when the world cries out for help, Americans are always ready and eager to assist.

That's a lesson the Axis Powers had to learn the hard way in the 1940s.

Pearl Harbor led to America becoming a global superpower. The war ended in 1945. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)

God bless all the brave men and women who helped America win WWII. Never forget those we lost along the way. Japan started it and America ended it in blowout fashion.