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Pearl Harbor Glossary

Here are some words that will help you understand what happened the day Pearl Harbor was bombed:

Bomber - a large airplane that drops bombs on targets.

Depth charge - an explosive device designed to explode underwater.

Destroyer - a small, very fast warship that uses guns, missles, and torpedoes to protect other ships from submarines.

Diplomat - a person who represents his or her country's government in a foreign country.

Dispatch - a message or report.

Embargo - an official order forbidding something from happening, especially trade.

Evacuate - to move away from an area because it is dangerous there.

Imperialists - people who want a national policy of gaining foreign territories or establishing dominance over other nations.

Negotiate - to bargain or discuss something so that you can come to an agreement..

Radar - an instrument used by planes and ships to find solid objects by reflecting radio waves off them and by receiving the reflected waves.

Raid - a sudden, surprise attack on a place.

Sabotage - the deliberate damage or destruction of property.

Seize - to grab or take hold of something suddenly.

Shogun - leaders of military clans who ruled in the Emperor's name.

Torpedo - an underwater missle that explodes when it hits a target, such as a ship.

Treaty - a formal agreement between two or more countries.

This glossary has been adapted from the Scholastic Children's Dictionary.

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