Why is Midway called Midway?

The atoll's name is said to come from its location, midway between San Francisco and Tokyo. Geographically, it is a part of the Hawaiian chain of islands, located 1,140 nautical miles from Oahu; politically, it has never been a part of the state of Hawaii.



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Unlike the rest of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Midway is not part of the State of Hawaii due to the Hawaiian Organic Act of 1900 that formally annexed Hawaii to the United States as a territory, which defined Hawaii as the islands acquired by the United States of America under an Act of Congress entitled 'Joint ...

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After WWII, the development of long-range planes reduced Midway's importance as a commercial air base, and Pan American eliminated stops there in 1950. That year also saw the reduction of Midway's U.S. Navy establishment to a housekeeping force. The islands were virtually abandoned after World War II.

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The U.S. Navy began reducing its facilities on the islands in 1978, and all remaining military operations were shut down in 1993. In 1996 the islands were proclaimed Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge; formal transfer of jurisdiction took place in 1997.

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It was the deployment of a new and terrible weapon, the atomic bomb, which forced the Japanese into a surrender that they had vowed never to accept. Harry Truman would go on to officially name September 2, 1945, V-J Day, the day the Japanese signed the official surrender aboard the USS Missouri.

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Midway Atoll's (Kauaihelani) three small islands provide a virtually predator-free safe haven for the world's largest albatross colony encircled by a ring of coral reef that hosts an amazing variety of unique wildlife including green sea turtles, spinner dolphins, and endangered Hawaiian monk seals among an ...

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A recent increase in albatross egg predation by mice underscores the need for long-term monitoring and management while previous accomplishments show what's possible on this extraordinary National Wildlife Refuge.

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