A Date Which Will Live In Infamy 70 Years On Since Pearl Harbor

There are certain dates that are so momentous that they are etched indelibly in people's memories forever more.

A recent example is obviously 11th September 2001 - a date that few people above a certain age will ever be able to forget. Another that many people will still remember is Sunday December 7th, 1941 - the day that Japan changed the course of World War II.

On the evening of 7th December 1941 a production of Norman Corwin’s script Between Americans starring Orson Welles was aired. This is one of the timeliest programs ever heard on the Gulf Screen Guild Theater. Broadcast at any time this program would make any American’s heart beat a little faster, make him hold his head just a little higher but since the tragic and foreboding news that came on this day this program Between Americans became an American odyssey.

Following the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor FDR made his A Date Which Will Live In Infamy speech. The broadcast went out live on radio at 12:30pm on December 8. The whole nation tuned in. Later that afternoon President Roosevelt signed the declaration of war against Japan.

And to really capture the moment you can listen to the original broadcast through RUSC. Close your eyes and try to imagine just how chilling these words were and what the horrific implications were.

Wednesday the 7th December 2011 marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbour and to commemorate the day we have added three special shows to RUSC. From the series Wings To Victory aired on the 1st April 1943 a show entitled Raid On Burma, from 17th October 1956 ABC Radio Workshop's, Tomorrow narrated by Orson Welles and from Cavalcade of America, The Prophet Without Honor, which aired on 31st August 1942.