Highlights Archives
Pearl Harbor and WW II — New Sources Online
December 7 marks the 64th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor that catapulted the U.S. into World War II, and this week we announce three new sources of information about the war available online from the Society.
Pearl Harbor photos added to WHI: Marinette resident Alan North Williams (1912-2001) served as a photographer's mate in the U.S. Navy. In his work for the Public Relations Bureau of the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPAC), he took or collected hundreds of wartime photographs, including portraits of soldiers and civilians, and scenes of land, air and sea battles. We recently added pictures from his collection showing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, to Wisconsin Historical Images. These are available for free viewing, or you can order high quality reproductions suitable for framing.
Some 3,600 World War II obituaries added to WNI: starting in June 1942, staff in the Society's library and archives clipped articles from local newspapers about soldiers in combat, missing in action, or known to have been killed. These were mounted in three huge scrapbooks that have been unavailable until recently. Each article or obituary has just been indexed in the Wisconsin Name Index, so researchers can search there by a soldier's name, then go to their local library to consult the original newspaper or order a copy online.
Wisconsin World War II Stories special screening: A joint project of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Public Television, and the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, these documentaries show how our state's men and women participated in World War II. Each day from December 4-10, the Wisconsin Historical Museum's regularly scheduled "Video of the Week" will feature one of these hour-long documentaries: Struggle, Europe, Pacific, Home Front, and Legacy. These special screenings will take place at noon and 2 p.m. each day in the museum's theater at 30 North Carroll Street on Madison's Capitol Square (free with museum admission by donation). You can also buy DVDs of the programs from our online store.
More information about Wisconsin during World War II, including military events and life on the home front, is also available online at our Turning Points in Wisconsin History site, where you'll always find articles, books, photographs, and online museum exhibits available for free.
:: Posted December 7, 2005
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