Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into World War II. In honor of this historic event, the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center in Honolulu have introduced a new exhibit and ticket option for their respective visitors.

The National WWII Museum is hosting a day full of special events today, which also is when its newest exhibit, “Infamy: December 1941” opens. The exhibit recounts the strike in Hawaii as well as the lesser-known but nearly simultaneous attacks on American territories in the Pacific, including Wake Island, Guam and the Philippines. Oral histories from witnesses and an assortment of artifacts and images convey the losses, disrupted lives and reactions of military service members and ordinary Americans as they realized the nation was at war.

Artifacts displayed in the exhibition include a wristwatch that stopped minutes into the attack when its owner, R.S. “Swede” Boreen, jumped from the burning USS Oklahoma, and actual pieces of the USS Arizona, a battleship sunk during the Japanese attack resulting in the loss of 1,177 lives. The exhibition is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is free with museum admission. It will remain on display through February 19, 2012. Visit www.nationalww2museum.org for more information.

In Honolulu, a partnership of Pearl Harbor memorials and museums has launched a new, two-day ticket option that will help visitors fully experience several distinct historic sites. Currently available exclusively at the Pearl Harbor Visitors Center ticket window, “Passport to Pearl Harbor” provides two-day access to all primary Pearl Harbor historic sites—a $115 value—for $65 per adult and $35 per child. Passport holders can return to Pearl Harbor within seven days of their initial visit at no additional charge. A photo ID must be presented with the non-transferrable voucher.

The Passport to Pearl Harbor includes:

• The Official Pearl Harbor Audio Tour;
• USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park museum admission and submarine audio tour;
• Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor admission; and
• Battleship Missouri Memorial admission and the choice between four tours.

The Official Pearl Harbor Audio Tour takes visitors through 28 locations at the new Pearl Harbor Visitor Center, its two museums and the USS Arizona Memorial. Visit pacifichistoricparks.org for more information.

Photo: Battleship Missouri Memorial

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