Hawaii Fact 30 of 50: Where WW II Began & Ended In One Spot

The above photo shows where the US’s full involvement in WW II began and ended. On the right, you see the USS Arizona Memorial hovering over the the sunken battleship and honoring more than 1000 crewmen who lost their lives in the ship on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor Day. This event drove the US into full involvement into WW II.

On the left side of the photo, you see the USS Missouri, dubbed the Mighty Mo. One of the greatest events in Mighty Mo’s history is that it hosted Japan’s official surrender to the US and marked the end of World War II on September 2, 1945.

As you can gather, Pearl Harbor is exceptionally rich in history and quite symbolic of both war and peace times. You can visit the USS Arizona Memorial

at no charge. You can tour the Mighty Mo, the Bowfin Submarine, and the nearby Pacific Aviation Museum for a fee.