Don't Wake a Sleeping Giant Trivia Quiz

Answer: Oahu

Pearl Harbor is an American naval base situated on the island of Oahu about ten miles west of Honolulu. It serves as the base of operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and its bombing propelled the entrance of the USA into WWII. Originally, it was a shallow bay but was later enlarged to accommodate large vessels.

Answer: Emperor Hirohito and President Roosevelt

Hirohito was the emperor of Japan from 1926-1989 and approved the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in order to limit American forces in an effort to conquer China and Southeast Asia. Franklin Roosevelt responded to the attacks with his "Day of Infamy" speech followed by a declaration of war against Japan and subsequent entry into WWII.

Answer: Husband E. Kimmel

Kimmel along with Walter C. Short, the Army commander in Oahu, were relieved of their commands and demoted following the inquiries. Although having been forewarned about a possible Japanese attack, neither believed that it would occur while the navy was stationed there and were certain that the targets would be west of Pearl Harbor.

In later years, the pair would be partially exonerated due to poor communication media that existed at the time of the attack.

Answer: False

The casualty count of the Americans amounted to over 2,400 serviceman killed and about half that number wounded. Civilian deaths totaled less than a hundred, most of which died as a result of undetonated anti-aircraft ammunition ending up in civilian areas.

Answer: War of 1812

Although Hawaii was not a state at the time, the incident was still considered by Americans as an attack on their country. It was a decisive defeat for the United States and became synonymous with the concept of a "surprise attack". The War of 1812 was fought in the USA against Britain to resolve outstanding issues from America's quest for independence.

Answer: 1

Kazuo Sakamaki was the one and only officer captured by American forces becoming the first prisoner of war during WWII. He was a midget submarine crewman that fell unconscious underwater while investigating a failed detonation of his vessel. Subsequently, he was found by a Hawaiian soldier and taken into custody where he remained for the rest of the war.

Answer: Isoroku Yamamoto

Although the quote is attributed to Yamamoto, there is no hard evidence that he actually said it. Some published books containing reliable sources could not verify this quote, whereas others claim that in fact the quotation was found in his diary. However, regardless of the exact wording of the quote, Yamamoto believed that the attack was a huge error of judgement.

Answer: False

The Pearl Harbor attack severely damaged American military power but Roosevelt decided not to strike back at Japan immediately. He decided to use most of his forces to battle with Germany first as they posed a greater threat due its advanced industrialization and capability to develop new deadly weaponry including the atomic bomb.

Answer: Battle of Midway

As in the Pearl Harbor operation, Japan during the Battle Of Midway sought to end the presence of the United States in the Pacific and East Asia as a strategic power, thereby assuring their dominance of the region. The Japanese plan backfired as American code breakers were able to determine attack locations, resulting in an ambush which ended up in heavy naval losses that the Japanese never fully recovered from.

Answer: Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The United States used the atomic bomb as a means to end WWII in the Pacific Region. The tactic was successful as Japan surrendered within a month of the drops. Some argue that the United States could have achieved the same result with an invasion of Japan and that the bombing events were merely a payback for the Pearl Harbor bombings.