A great way to teach your children about the history of Pearl Harbor is through the use of books. They did not realize they were being attacked until they had seized the opportunity to do so. This led to the destruction of the US Pacific Fleet and the defeat of the Japanese Empire. Fortunately, the American military was strong enough to win this war, and the Japanese were unable to take control of the Hawaiian Islands.The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise attack by the Japanese on the US Navy on December 7, 1941. The Japanese did not anticipate this attack and were well-prepared. This meant that the US naval fleet had no chance of defending itself. Besides the US soldiers who were killed in the assault, there were 1,178 people who were injured and treated in the hospitals. Even though the attack surprised many people, the Japanese had planned the attack for months.