Wake Island
Photo: cia.gov
For an uninhabited island, Wake Island has a stunningly rich history.
The United States acquired this island as a simple convenience. As Wake Island was between Honolulu and Manila, the U.S. figured that they could use this area to house telegraph and coaling stations.
Years later, Wake Island became famous when Pan American Airways president Juan Trippe realized it could be used as part of his planned commercial route to China. He partnered with the U.S. military as part of this endeavor and gave America a valuable technical foothold in the process. Its value for commercial flights lessened greatly when new jets no longer needed to stop here to refuel.
However, Wake Island has remained a storied military location. It has played a role in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam. Actually, Wake Island soldiers held off a Japanese attack orchestrated as part of the assault on Pearl Harbor.
To this day, Wake Island remains a valuable military location. Many missile tests have been conducted here over the years. An existing agreement states that the island will eventually be turned into a wildlife refuge.