I did the graphics research for this story about unexploded World War II ordnance — bombs to artillery shells to hand grenades and everything else — being unearthed over decades on Guam.
Understanding Guam’s war history is vital to comprehending why these explosives are still being found. Japan seized the island shortly after Pearl Harbor in 1941; the U.S. liberated Guam in 1944.
Two animated maps tell the story: 1) How U.S. Marines and Army troops retook Guam in battles moving north/northeast across the island and 2) How Guam’s development and growth (and accompanying construction) caused the buried bombs to be found.
My colleague Karl Gelles did a top-notch job on the maps, based on my independent research and a database assembled by the U.S. Navy. The story ran in USA Today and the Pacific Daily News, a USA Today Network publication.
A link to the story is here.
George Petras: Graphics and Story Portfolio 