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National Geographic Online Feature Stories
Remembering Pearl Harbor
Project Group
Client
Date
April 2001Tags
Playlists
This compelling site provides unparalleled context for understanding the sequence of events, their corresponding locations, and first-person stories that defined the U.S. entrance into World War II.
Hosted at nationalgeographic.com, the launch of Remembering Pearl Harbor was timed to commemorate Pearl Harbor’s 60th anniversary. It chronicles the hours and minutes of the attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941, while personal accounts of survivors give visitors a sense of the fear and courage spurred by the attack. Featuring an Attack Map that guides site visitors through a collection of zooming maps integrated with a timeline of events, the site enables users to literally hover over Pearl Harbor and experience the attack as it progressed throughout the day. Visitors can learn more details about a specific event or quickly change their vantage point to view another moment in the attack. Each event is coupled with an in-depth narrative that highlights more than 30 American and Japanese survivors who share their memories of the day. Site visitors can also submit their own memories of the attack, or locate information about a loved one in the Memory Book. Over time, the Memory Book becomes a monument to living memories of survivors, documenting and preserving this history for future generations. The goal of the site design was to create an immersive experience that presents the events surrounding the Pearl Harbor attack in a way that is both educational and evocative. The visitor’s ability to change time and geography selections to recreate a historic event demonstrates how interactive technology can be used to both educate and engage people as active participants in a historical narrative. Each of the events featured in the Attack Map is stylized to evoke a period newsreel that combines narration, sound effects, and archival photographs. The voices and viewpoints of the American and Japanese survivors are interwoven throughout the experience to help make these events of 60 years ago become both real and personal.
Press & Awards
“Brand New Things,” Photo District News, Jenn Shreve, April 2004The 81st Art Directors Annual, 2003USA Today, Hot Sites, January 3, 2002No need to see the movie if you want to delve into Pearl Harbor’s dramatic history: This National Geographic multimedia retrospective presents photos, footage, firsthand accounts and online resources.
Art Directors Awards, Gold, 2002SXSW Web Site Competition, Finalist, Online Education Resource, 2002“Reliving Pearl Harbor Online,” Oregon Business, July 2001"Pearl Harbor: History in the Making,” Create Magazine, Keith Drew, July 2001“The Big Reveal: Theatrical Typography,” Eye, Jessica Helfand, July 2001“Showcase: Remembering Pearl Harbor,” Macromedia, July 2001Crafting an interactive documentary for National Geographic, Second Story uses Macromedia Flash to create an intelligible and moving account of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Communication Arts, Site of the Week, June 4, 2001“Flicks & Clicks,” Entertainment Weekly, Hugh Hart, June 4, 2001“Site of the Week,” Newsday, Bob Suter, June 4, 2001A Memory Book featuring an interactive Searchable Archive of Survivors’ Stories—some of which inspired events in the film—is at the heart of National Geographic’s latest Web offering.
“World War II Breaks Out as a Cultural Phenom, and Teens Find Its Larger Lessons Fascinating,” The Oregonian, Kristi Turnquist, May 22, 2001Yahoo!, Daily Pick, May 22, 2001USA Today, Hot Sites, May 22, 2001No need to wait for the upcoming movie if you want to delve into Pearl Harbor’s dramatic history: This multimedia retrospective presents photos, footage, firsthand accounts and online resources.
The Scout Report, May 18, 2001The main attraction is a very interactive map/timeline which relates the story of the attack and offers numerous opportunities to find out more about specific events and ships. This section includes a number of excellent photos and rare movie clips.
“The Date That Lives In Infamy and Online,” The New York Times, Shelly Freierman, May 17, 2001[A] Web site from the National Geographic Society offers a chance to explore the battle through maps, photographs, eyewitness accounts and timelines. History is in the details.
“Interactive Tribute to Pearl Harbor Comes Alive,” KXL Radio, Wired Northwest, Rich Carr, May 17, 2001Macromedia, Site of the Day, May 4, 2001Credits
- Designers
- Brad Johnson, Gabe Kean
- Developers
- Seb Chevrel, Sam Ward
- Writer & Narrator
- Thomas B. Allen
- Music Composer
- Brad Purkey
- Sound Designers
- Gabe Kean, Sam Ward
- Researcher & Editor
- David Waingarten
- Production Assistants
- Lindsey Hammond, David Waingarten
© 2013 Second Story, Inc. -