This is simply amazing:
America Before Pearl Harbor, in Kodak KodachromeThese pictures are simply amazing. They are all circa 1941; perhaps a few as early as 1938. The color makes all the difference; for me, I've only ever envisioned that period in black and white, because that's what most of the pictures and reels are. But not these. And with the color comes a new perspective. In some ways the United States of 65 years ago looks...not all that different. In that spirit, the cityscape shot of New York is what stands out to me the most. And then there are the rural shots, that look like something out of today's third world. Yet they were all together under one flag. Amazing.
65 years ago. Most people alive today weren't even born yet.
December 7 was the date of the attack on Pearl Harbor, signifying America's entrance into World War II. If one were apt to tell a poetic story of history, this was the day that would set the course of history to this very day.
It has been said that September 11 was my era's Pearl Harbor. I can't accept that comparison, because it implies that America subsequently rose to the occasion and achieved something noble through hard work and great personal sacrifice. Not this time we didn't.
I would like to have visited some of the places behind those photographs, if for no other reason than to satisfy my curiosity, and maybe see if that zeitgeist is as palpable as it looks. It would have been nice to talk to a few of the people, too.
You think I'm kidding about a trip through time? Click the link.
