Battle of Los Angeles

US Army anti-aircraft batteries fired over 1,400 rounds of ammunition at unidentified objects over Los Angeles, less than three months after the Pearl Harbor attack. Searchlights converged on objects reported by multiple military observers. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox initially dismissed the event as a 'false alarm,' but Secretary of War Henry Stimson contradicted him, confirming 'unidentified planes' were present. A famous photograph published in the Los Angeles Times showed searchlight beams converging on an object above the city. The incident caused five civilian deaths and significant property damage from falling shell fragments.