December 7, 1941 - A Day That Will Live in Infamy

According to a write-up on the National Postal Museum's website, "Private John R. Rion inadvertently left a mark on postal history by mailing an envelope from Honolulu, Hawaii, postmarked on December 7, 1941, the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. "

It goes on to say,"...destined for his business partner back home in Perry, Iowa. Rion and his friend operated a barbershop. The envelope contained a photograph of a lovely young Hawaiian woman in a grass skirt with floral leis but no message.

"The next morning -- December 7, 1941 -- the Honolulu post office cancelled Rion’s envelope at 8 a.m., the exact time that Japanese torpedo planes struck nearby Pearl Harbor and the unprepared U.S. Navy battleship force. The harbor filled with flames and smoke as Japanese bombs sank five of eight battleships and destroyed other ships and combat planes. Over 2,400 Americans died. The unprecedented air raid led to America’s declaration of war on Japan and the mobilization of American troops to the Pacific front."

Rion died in 2006, and his estate donated this historical cover to the National Postal Museum. The envelope is one of the very few surviving examples documenting this defining moment in world history.

To see the envelope and learn more, click here.