Days of InfamyOn December 8th, 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the famous speech to Congress that began, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy….” (Image on left is of FDR making his famous speech.)
The 25th anniversary of 9/11 has just past, with solemn remembrances of the loss and massive trauma not only for those directly involved, but for the country as a whole and the world. Truly it was another day of infamy: an even beyond imagining, never to be forgotten. At such times we remember not just the original shock and horror, but probably where we were and what we were doing. Pearl Harbor was before my time, but my mother remembered that she was having a Sunday night dinner with my father and her in-laws when they heard the news.
Another such infamous day was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Such shocks are written on our souls. I was fairly young but I remember hearing, “The president has been shot.” My first reaction was, “The president of what?” The truth seemed too shocking, but it was the truth.
There are also such shocks for private events. I was in bed about 3:00 a. m. when my sister called to say that our father had just died of a sudden unexpected heart attack. The Mayhem Consultant was driving when he heard that Queen Elizabeth II had just died. She had been the Queen of Great Britain for his whole life. It was the end of an era.
Happy events don’t seem to leave such an imprint, though a friend said when she met a guy, a small voice in her said “You’ll marry this man.” She told the small voice “He’s not even an American!” He was Greek, and reader, she married him. <g> So that was a very fine remembrance.
There is pain in remembering such dramatic days of infamy, but there is also power in the remembrance, and the reminder that infamous days also bring people together to face common dangers.
Long may we remember, and honor those who faced those days of infamy.
Mary Jo
Thank you for your thoughtful post, Mary Jo. Regrettably, there have been far too many days of infamy. And now you have me wondering about happy events that impact huge numbers of people rather than individuals. The first one that came to mind was the end of World War II. Ooh, another might be the moon landing.
Kareni, excellent points! I remember seeing those pictures of people celebrating in NYC (Timed Square, I think) when WWII ended. Smaller but still meaningful are celebrations for survivors of earthquakes and mining disasters. Saved lives ae worthy of world wide celebrations.
Mary Jo-i wasn’t around for FDR’s “Day of Infamy” speech, but it has always resonated with me. The other events you cite stand out in relief. Every November 22, I still remember where I was when the announcement of John F. Kennedy’s assassination came over the PA system in my high school. And I will never forget that crystal blue Tuesday when the planes flew into the World Trade Center. Even if I wanted to, I could never forget. Thank you, Mary Jo, for your resonating words.
FDR’s speech was well before our time, but you’re right that JFK’s assassination and 9/11 are unforgettable. Days of infamy indeed.
Thank you for your very meaningful and touching post, Mary Jo. Although I was not around for FDR’s speech, i saw films of it in college a d my father described where he was when it happened. Like Binnie, I heard about Kennedy’s assassination over the PA system ehen i was in 7th grade and an assembly was called to dismiss the school after they told us what was going on. As Kareni said, there are too many days of infamy.
When will human being learn to resolve their grievances and differences peacefully?
Sadly, violence is easy as well as infamous. Maybe the world will become more peaceful when more women are in positions of power. That seems to be helping some.
Unfortunately, history has shown that women are just as prone to violence and war as men when they are in charge. War and violence know no gender. Society itself has to make it unacceptable and abhorrent so that no one advocates it for any reason. May that not be in the too distant future.
Jane–we can hope and pray that that happens, preferably sooner rather than later.
It may not rate highly on the world stage but for UK soccer fans, defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final when England were leading 1-0 with a few minutes of play left was devastating to English fans!
The Idiot manager made the wrong substitutions allowing Lionel Messi to wreak havoc in the English penalty area …. grrrrr!