On the night and early morning of February 24 and 25, 1942, a singular event unfolded in the skies over Southern California – the continental United States was attacked by an enemy... or was it? The reports of this vary, from a squadron of Japanese bombers, a weather balloon, and even alien spacecraft, and the subsequent government conspiracies that followed. We do know that something happened; too many people witnessed the event to dispute that fact, but what really happened?
Was it an enemy attack, hysteria, or a UFO? Although the mystery has never been solved, the Fort MacArthur Museum is staging a recreation of the Great Los Angeles Air Raid on February 23rd, 2008. Link -via Grow-A-Brain
This led to the first identification of carpal tunnel syndrome in many doctors, and the invention of a certain hand-held labour-saving device to help relieve doctors of the strain.
Footage of the army firing on the craft. It also shows the picture from the LA times archive. Definitely not a fire balloon like the first guy said.