Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Corporal Evangeline Lyau, USMC, places wreath on plaque aboard the remains of USS Arizona (BB-39), commemorating 10th Anniversary of Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1951

“Let’s Go”: Industrial Vengeance After Pearl Harbor

Bethlehem Steel Company, c. 1942

This dramatic poster—commissioned by Bethlehem Steel—rallied American workers to build warships in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The battleship, surging through waves and firing its guns, embodies the urgency and might of U.S. naval retaliation. The slogan, “The Navy Needs Ships to Avenge Pearl Harbor. Let’s go,” transforms industrial labor into patriotic action.

Bethlehem Steel, one of the nation’s largest shipbuilders, produced hundreds of vessels during World War II. Their propaganda didn’t just recruit workers—it reframed welding and riveting as acts of national vengeance.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On December 7, 1863 co-founder of Sears, Roebuck & Company, Richard W. Sears was born in Stewartville, Minnesota. Image: Sears at his desk in 1906 from Richard from USA CC BY SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Tuskegee Airman, Charles McGee, who flew over four hundred combat missions and who served during WWII, Korea and Vietnam, was born on December 7, 1919 in Cleveland, Ohio. In this photo Charles is receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross in Korea in 1951 Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

A sketch of Revolutionary War Veteran Richard Bassett who signed the United States Constitution and was a delegate at the Delaware Convention in 1787. On December 7, 1787 Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

On December 7, 1912, American banker Paul Warburg presented his plans for a strong U.S. central banking system. His plan would eventually become the Federal Reserve. Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Babe Ruth at The White House December 7, 1921 via Library of Congress, no known restrictions

Born December 7, 1942 Harry Chapin’s string of 1970s hits included “Taxi,” “WOLD,” and “Cat’s in the Cradle.” Many of his songs were autobiographical or based on real people and events. Chapin devoted much of his time, talent, and earnings to alleviating hunger and other charitable causes but died at 38 in a traffic accident. Image by Cindy Funk, CCA 2.0 Generic via Wikimedia Commons.

Pro basketball legend Larry Bird was born on December 7, 1956 in French Lick, Indiana. Image of Bird while a player at Indiana State in 1977 via Wikimedia Commons, no known restrictions

WWII Veteran and American actor, Ted Knight, who starred in Caddyshack , the Mary Tyler Moore Show and Too Close for Comfort was born on December 7, 1923 in Terryville, Connecticut. Image of Ted Knight from 1972 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Members of the New York Philharmonic Club c. 1880s About four decades earlier the New York Philharmonic performed its first concert on December 7, 1842. Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

On December 7, 1972, the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft took this image of Earth from about 18,000 miles away. Known as “The Blue Marble”, NASA has called it possibly the most reproduced image in history.

Image from NASA via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US

The Fleet Marine Force of the U.S. Marine Corps was established on December 7, 1933. It offers combined general and special forces within the Department of the Navy.

The Fleet Marine Force can conduct operations in any spectrum of conflict around the globe.

Image of a Fleet Marine Force, Pacific change of command ceremony in 1987 via Wikimedia Commons, no known restrictions

U.S. President Gerald R. Ford and Mrs. Ford arrive for the Memorial Ceremonies at the USS Arizona Memorial, 7 December 1975.