It Became "The Date Which Will Live In Infamy," as Predicted. Here's Why We Still Remember Pearl Harbor Today
- Jann Alexander
- Dec 6, 2025
- 4 min read
Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra perform Remember Pearl Harbor
On "the date which will live in infamy," December 7, 1941, when Imperial Japan attacked the US Navy in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, President Franklin Roosevelt declared war. His history-making one-liner was born. And today, we continue to Remember Pearl Harbor.
First, hear a slice of history. On December 7, 1941, as FDR and Congress prepared to declare war, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt took to the radio waves, as she often did, her voice steady and familiar to her millions of fans:
🎙️"We know what we have to face and we know that we are ready to face it.” —ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Listen to history: Hear First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's full speech on December 7, 1941
The surprise Pearl Harbor attack was so unexpected, and so shocking, it created fertile stuff for legends that live on today, and countless propaganda posters, books, films, exhibitions, websites, scholarly articles, and more ... like a scene in my historical novel, Unspoken.
In a scene from Unspoken, Ruby Lee Becker awakes to learn the news:
"We were wakened early one Monday morning in December by the head matron. 'The Japs attacked the navy’s base in Hawaii yesterday, Sunday morning . . . It wasn’t expected.'
"Pearl Harbor Day, it would become known. President Roosevelt called it, 'December 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy.' The country was at war.
Read more in Unspoken
"Later that week, we gathered around the Philco to hear the president tell us what we already knew: Our country had suffered a serious setback with the Pearl Harbor attack. Our forces were fighting bravely but taking a beating in the Philippines. He predicted a long and hard war with Japan.
"As the news sank in, I realized there’d be plenty of airplanes now. Two days later, we were at war with Germany and Italy, as well. By Saturday, we learned Congress intended to draft men from eighteen to sixty-four for defense duties, which meant all the older boys were going to war. Will, too, if he hadn’t already enlisted. And Earl? At seventeen, he wasn’t old enough, but he might connive to pass as eighteen. Wouldn’t they call up Pa, or did his mustard gas injuries disqualify him?" Continue reading in Unspoken: A Dust Novel
Like all Americans, in Unspoken, Ruby had good reason to worry.
The prospect of men going to war for the second time in two decades was concerning not just to Ruby, but to all Americans. Many sons who enlisted had fathers who had served in the Great War; and fathers who'd served in the "War to End All Wars" would once again find themselves in overseas battles.
Ultimately, 16.4 million Americans would serve in World War II.
Men of all ages, and boys 18 years and older, would eventually be drafted, but plenty of men and boys voluntarily rushed to sign up in the days after the Pearl Harbor attack, and women did, too. No wonder we remember Pearl Harbor — we have fathers and grandfathers, and mothers and grandmothers, who served.
Explore the many fascinating behind-the-scenes war stories and historical accounts from the National WWII Museum.
In the moment: The USS Shaw under attack, Dec. 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor, HI / National Archives
The 1941 Pearl Harbor attack prompted the US to enter the war in Europe, plus an on-going slew of historical images, propaganda posters, books, films, interviews, podcasts, and more, including:
History: First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt addresses the nation; US propoganda posters appear
Due to the surprise attack, the rallying cry Remember Pearl Harbor! supplanted the former popular battle cry, Remember the Maine!
A 1953 film, From Here to Eternity, may have cemented our fascination with Pearl Harbor. Burt Lancaster was cast opposite Deborah Kerr alongside Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, and Ernest Borgnine, with a director, crew and acting cast who brought home 8 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director (Fred Zinnemann), Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra), and Supporting Actress (Donna Reed).
In the movies: Deborah Kerr in a passionate embrace with Burt Lancaster on a Hawaiian beach
You can stream From Here to Eternity while drinking a glass of Army Grog concocted by the CinemaSips bartenders, to replicate one of the movie characters' favorite pasttimes (drinking tiki drinks).
The Navy Grog, a complicated but delicious tiki concoction, was rumored to be one of Frank Sinatra’s favorite cocktails. It's been simplified by CinemaSips for modern bars and dubbed Army Grog, with classic film viewers in mind.
Army Grog (from CinemaSips)
1 oz Dark Rum
1 oz Gold Rum
1 oz White Rum (I used Koloa Rum, in a nod to Hawaii!)
1 oz Honey Syrup (1:1 ratio honey to water)
¾ oz Club Soda
¾ oz Grapefruit Juice
¾ oz Lime Juice
Lime Wheel garnish
Combine rums, honey syrup, club soda, grapefruit, and lime juices in a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a lime wheel. Serves one (advisedly). Watch while streaming.
Eternal memories: cover, James Jones' 1951 novel; 1953 movie poster; 2025 memoir cover
Pearl Harbor Day, From Here to Eternity, so far:
From the 1951 debut novel From Here to Eternity by James Jones to the adapted 1953 Oscar-winning film (rendered considerly more chaste than the Jones book by the Production Code Office and the US Army), to the 2025 memoir by Christine Kuehn of her shocking hidden family of Pearl Harbor spies, titled Family of Spies, Pearl Harbor day is indeed remembered, and continues to as infamous as predicted, nearly 85 years later.
Hear Christine Kuehn discuss her startling discoveries about her family's Nazi connection in A Family Secret Like No Other from WBUR's On Point
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