80 years later: Remembering the attack on Pearl Harbor

Today holds a heavy memory of the thousands lost at Pearl Harbor. The tragic event impacted the whole world. But, it is not just global conflict which has changed, but also the media. See how the news from 1941 looked and compare it for yourself to today at the bottom of this article!

Going back to Wichita Kansas in December 1941, students were well versed in taking shelter under their desks to protect them should a sudden attack come to their town.

After surviving the tail end of the Great Depression, families and leaders across the U.S. tracked the news of two years’ worth of war in Europe but didn’t want to engage in the global dispute.

One 92-year-old woman from Wichita shared her memory of that fateful day, Dec. 7, 1941, when she was 12 years old. The announcement of an attack on Pearl Harbor came over the radio. She was shocked, as were many others, about the surprise attack some 3,700 miles away.

In the days that followed, more radio announcements relayed the reports of the death toll turning shock into deep heartache and driving conversations about what to do next. Then on Dec. 11, 1941, Germany openly declared war on the United States.

Concern and financial support for Britain’s war efforts were replaced with a national call for troops and supplies as America entered World War II.

In the past 80 years, only the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack had surpassed Pearl Harbor in loss of life from an aggressive attack by a foreign nation. On Dec. 7, 1941, 2,403 Americans died versus the 2,977 Americans who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

Today, WWII veterans and survivors of the Pearl Harbor attack, are gathering to remember this day—“a date that will live in infamy,” as President Roosevelt opened with during his Dec. 8 speech to Congress.

Today is a somber reminder. A time to look back at history and contemplate how events of the past can inform today’s actions and values in America.

Want to know what news was like in 1941? Watch this historical video posted by The Atlantic in 2017, which highlights footage from the U.S. Navy and news media matched with music and narrative: