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Who really said it

Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan

Spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt 1882–1945 · 32nd President of the United States
Verified Free to reuse

The opening sentence of Roosevelt’s address to a joint session of Congress asking for a declaration of war on Japan, delivered December 8, 1941. It is confirmed word for word in the National Archives transcript ↗.

Last verified 1 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” Franklin D. Roosevelt, Address to Congress Requesting a Declaration of War with Japan, December 8, 1941

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In context

Evoking the world of Franklin D. Roosevelt — 32nd President of the United States. Theme: "Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

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Provenance

The documented source

Speech
Address to Congress Requesting a Declaration of War with Japan (the “Day of Infamy” speech)
Delivered
December 8, 1941, to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.
Original document
“Day of Infamy” Speech, SEN 77A-H1, Record Group 46 (Records of the U.S. Senate), National Archives

Mr. Vice President, and Mr. Speaker, and Members of the Senate and House of Representatives: Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

Opening of the speech as given in the National Archives transcript. Some transcriptions, such as Wikisource’s, print the date as “December 7th.”

National Archives: Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Japan (1941)

How we confirmed it

  • The National Archives ↗ transcribes the speech, starting with this exact sentence. It notes that the first line originally read “a date which will live in world history.”
  • The American Presidency Project ↗ gives the same opening, dated December 8, 1941.
  • Wikiquote ↗ lists the sentence in its sourced quotes for Roosevelt, under the address to Congress after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
  • The National Park Service ↗ also reproduces the address, broadcast from the Capitol on December 8, 1941, at 12:30 p.m.
Public domain

Roosevelt gave this address as President, so it is a work of the United States Government. Under 17 U.S.C. § 105 ↗, such works get no U.S. copyright protection, even though the speech dates from 1941.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

Fact-check

The common mix-ups

Nobody doubts that Roosevelt said this. The errors are in the wording: the famous phrase is often misquoted, and his draft used a different word.

“A day that will live in infamy” Mis-worded

This is the way most people repeat the line, but Roosevelt said “a date which will live in infamy.” Wikipedia ↗ notes the misquote and points out that Roosevelt stressed the date, December 7, 1941.

“A date which will live in world history” Draft only

This is how the first line read in the draft, before Roosevelt revised it. The National Archives ↗ calls that revision the most significant change he made to the speech. The draft wording was never delivered.

What Roosevelt said on December 8, 1941: “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” (National Archives transcript ↗).

Context

Why it mattered

Roosevelt spoke to a joint session of Congress on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The speech was also broadcast to the nation by radio. It ended with a request that Congress declare that a state of war existed with Japan.

Roosevelt revised the opening line, replacing “world history” with “infamy.” The National Archives ↗ calls this the most significant change he made to the speech.

“…a date which will live in infamy…”

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Justice Courage Leadership

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Japan (1941)archives.gov

Full transcript, the original document and a note on the draft’s first line
Address to Congress Requesting a Declaration of War with Japanpresidency.ucsb.edu

Full text, dated December 8, 1941
Franklin D. Roosevelt: Response to the attack on Pearl Harboren.wikiquote.org

Sourced quotes from the address
Pearl Harbor speechen.wikisource.org

Full text with audio
Infamy Speechen.wikipedia.org

Background, the draft wording and the “a day that will live” misquote
December 8, 1941 Address Before Congressnps.gov

National Park Service copy of the address

About the speaker

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

1882–1945 · 32nd President of the United States

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945, and the only president elected four times. He led the country through the Great Depression and most of the Second World War. His address to Congress after the attack on Pearl Harbor is one of the best-known speeches in American history.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

Primary source

Franklin D. Roosevelt, “Address to Congress Requesting a Declaration of War with Japan,” December 8, 1941, online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/210408. Original: “Day of Infamy” Speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt, December 8, 1941, SEN 77A-H1, Record Group 46, National Archives.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan’?” Last verified 1 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/yesterday-december-7-1941-a-date-which-will-live-in-infamy/

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