I actually wasn’t going to talk about the Battle of Midway. This is more of a fun fact when it comes to history. August 18th 1941, the US Navy commissions US Navy Air Station at Midway Atoll. This small hunk of worthless land in the Pacific, which never saw more then nesting birds on it, had suddenly become very important.
Before and after Pearl Harbor, Japan was taking islands all across the Pacific. Seeing the possibility on the horizon of an attack against the US, the US Navy began strategic manuevers in case of such an event. Midway became famous on June 4 and 6 1942 during the battle in which both sides took casualties but America was victorious. The SBD Dauntless Divebomber, as seen above, helped to make that victory against the four Japanese carriers.
While Midway became famous for the battle, today it is famous for it’s diverse wildlife. Under the protection of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the 2.4 square mile island and surrounding lagoon was turned into a National Wildlife Refuge with over 590,000 acres protected. The bird species and sea critters are absolutely amazing while also being threatened due to pollution. If you are an aviation enthusiast, history enthusiast list or wildlife enthusiast then this definitely one place to have on your bucket list.