How virtual reality is about to take you to Pearl Harbor and the Berlin Wall

A museum in the Washington area is using VR to let visitors experience the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

The “Remembering Pearl Harbor” exhibit at the Newseum, running December 5-11, transports users to the wreckage of trucks and fighter planes, the sinking U.S.S. West Virginia, and a typical American home as President Roosevelt gives a radio address about the attack.

The experience was produced by Time Inc’s Life VR studio, HTC Vive and entertainment firm Deluxe VR. It will be followed next spring by a virtual replica of the Berlin Wall.

https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-ap..._58.jpg&w=1484

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.3086d1edcb68

Nice. I have seen a couple of cool pieces about the ravages of war from CNN, WSJ, and NYT on VR.

That's really interesting. Especially because we're right at the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Just about everybody knows the details about Pearl Harbor, but being able to transport yourself to the scene brings a new layer of realism to the events. I think it's particularly poignant for those who learn best by seeing things, since it allows you to actually experience the horror of the attack.

Considering we're 75 years out from the attack, soon there will be nobody alive who remembers the attacks. This idea, allows history to become a living record which to me is absolutely amazing and sobering all at the same time.

My grandfather served on a ship in WW2, but not Pearl Harbor, he wasn't drafted yet at that point.

Once I heard some latin american countries even send troops to fight in WWII, but I don't know if that was a rumor only, I saw some old pictures but it can be anything, nothing really War related to me, just people with guns.

A few countries sent troops to the European theater, but not many. South America in general is important to WWII in two separate ways.

1. The Panama Canal which provided a way to get from the Pacific to Atlantic Ocean without sailing around a continent in the process.
2. Argentina and several other countries were essentially Nazi havens. It's where many Nazi's fled to at the end of the war, because money and property was already there and waiting for them.