Back to top

This Day in Minnesota History

December 7, 1941

  • Cite
  • Share
  • Correct
  • Print

Outside of Pearl Harbor, the destroyer Ward, its crew primarily reservists from St. Paul, attacks and sinks a Japanese midget submarine, the first shots fired on the date of infamy. Inside the harbor, Minneapolis-born Captain Franklin van Valkenburgh is killed on the bridge of his ship, the USS Arizona. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor by Congress.

  • Cite
  • Share
  • Correct
  • Print