Brush-Up On Your History: Top 10 Forgotten Foreign Attacks on United States Territories

Citizens of the United States take pride in the fact that—other than events like 9/11, Pearl Harbor, and the War of 1812—their country has remained relatively unscathed by wars that have ravaged the rest of the planet. However, the United States is not as invincible as it believes, and it has actually come under attack plenty of times throughout history.

10. Battle Of Ambos Nogales

Relations between the two countries were already tense due to the Zimmerman Telegram, an intercepted communique between the German and Mexican governments, which enticed Mexico to attack the US. And in August 1918, American intelligence services reported a buildup of Mexican soldiers and armaments on the Mexican side of Nogales. Naturally, this made American troops incredibly nervous, and things only got worse on August 27.

On this particular day, a Mexican named Gil Lamadrid attempted to cross the border from the US side. He was carrying a large parcel through Nogales when US customs officials ordered him to stop. They wanted to examine the package, but then Mexican officials began telling Gil Lamadrid to cross the border immediately. In the confusion, a US soldier raised his rifle to threaten Gil Lamadrid. And that’s when gunfire erupted. Nobody knows who fired the first shot, but suddenly bullets were flying from both sides.

Mexican citizens grabbed their rifles and started shooting at the American soldiers. Ready to fight, the US 10th Cavalry (made of “Buffalo Soldiers”) charged across the border and began fighting in the streets. The battle soon spread into the American side. The 35th Infantry brought in machine guns to combat Mexican troops, and they soon captured the hills around the city. Felix Penalosa, the mayor of Mexican Nogales, attempted to wave a white flag of surrender, but he was fatally shot by American soldiers.

The death of the mayor served as a wake-up call for both sides. Mexican and US commanders gradually stopped the fighting, and the Battle of Ambos Nogales eventually came to an end.

9. Black Tom Explosion

On the early morning of July 30, 1916, a huge explosion rocked the island, with tons of explosives going up in flames. People 145 kilometers (90 mi) in every direction felt the blast. Some people even felt it as far away asPhiladelphia. The explosion rocked the East Coast with the equivalent force of a 5.5-magnitude earthquake. Plate glass windows in Manhattan buildings shattered. The Statue of Liberty took $100,000 worth of damage. Authorities evacuated immigrants off nearby Ellis Island, and a cloud of smoke and ash filled the sky.

At the time, nobody knew what caused the explosion. Years passed without any conclusive evidence as to whether the explosion was an accident or an act of sabotage. Decades later, investigators revealed the culprit was the German ambassador to the United States, Count Johann von Bernstorff. Before the explosion, he helped German saboteurs attain fake passports. These saboteurs got jobs on Black Tom Island and used incendiary “pencil bombs” to ignite the munitions.

Although the explosion didn’t cause too much damage outside the island, the Statue of Liberty’s torch has remained closed to the public since the attack.

Japanese submarines were prowling about in the Pacific right after Pearl Harbor. They made strikes near the California coast, and several small skirmishes broke out between

During World War II, the Japanese fought hard against the United States. They conducted several well-known attacks on the country, including the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Aleutian Island Campaign in Alaska. However, the Japanese were also active on America’s West Coast, and in 1942, they launched a submarine attack near Santa Barbara, California.

Japanese submarines were prowling about in the Pacific right after Pearl Harbor. They made strikes near the California coast, and several small skirmishes broke out between subs and transport ships. Commander Kozo Nishino, the skipper of the I-17, decided to make a strike against America’s oil fields to disrupt fuel production. So in February 1942, he brought the I-17 right off the coast and surfaced, cannon ready to fire.

The Japanese gun crew trained their only cannon on the bright coastline lights of the Ellwood oil field. They first aimed for the aviation fuel tank containers, but they barely did any damage. Wild shots fell all over the place, damaging oil derricks, the pier, and even a nearby ranch. Ultimately, there was little destruction, but it was a shocking psychological blow to the Californians.

Even today, no one knows exactly why Nishino decided to attack the oil field. One popular story is that he visited California before the war and walked down the beach near Ellwood. Seeing a prickly pear cactus, Nishino decided to take a cutting, but he slipped and fell on the sharp plant. Dock workers laughed at the injured Japanese captain, and legend states this embarrassment caused Nishino to have a burning hatred against the oil fields.

Read About the Remaining 7 Invasions at ListVerse