December 7 is my birthday and, though I came into the world more than three decades after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the first thing most Americans say when they hearthis fact is, “A day that will live in infamy.” My history nerdy-ness may be attributed in part to this association, as well as thefact I was a ‘national park kid’ soaking up events and people past around the country.

Most people think of national parks as Yosemite and Yellowstone but the 100-year-old National Park Service is al...