Famous Days for Students of English

24-02-1942

In early 1942, the United States was at war with Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese army was strong and they conquered more and more territories in the Pacific. They also attacked the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia.

All of this raised fears among the Americans who were afraid that the cities on the Pacific coast of the United States could become the next target.

On February 23, 1942, a Japanese submarine emerged near Los Angeles and attacked American oil factories. It was clear that another attack could come at any time. People in Los Angeles started to panic.

The very next night, on February 24, 1942, US military radars detected an unidentifiable object approaching from the west. Warning sirens went off in the city. The soldiers turned off lights in the city and they were preparing for the attack.

Then it all started at about 3 o’clock in the morning. The American soldiers must have seen something in the air because they started firing anti-aircraft grenades. They fired many of them and they continued for a whole hour.

When they stopped, they realized that they didn’t shoot down any Japanese aircraft. It was a mystery.

The next morning, people asked what had happened that night. The investigation revealed that there were no Japanese planes over Los Angeles that night. So what did the Americans shoot at?

The government was unable to give a clear explanation. Then a mysterious photograph appeared in the newspapers explaining the possible reason for the attack. At that moment many people formed their own opinion on what was the thing flying over Los Angeles at night. The Americans were firing at a UFO.

Difficult words: conquer (to get control by fighting), raise (to increase), emerge (to appear), unidentifiable (not able to be recognized), approach (to come), go off (to start making a noise), aircraft (a plane), reveal (to show).