This Week on History Happy Hour: How did one small island in the western Pacific make a huge contribution to the final phase of America’s war with Japan?

The island is Tinian, and our guest is fellow Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours historian Don Farrell, author of the new book, Seabees and Superforts at War: Tinian’s Critical Role in the Ultimate Defeat of Japan. From the invasion that took the island, to the construction of the largest and busiest airport in the world, and finally, the launching of the atomic bomb, 79 years ago this week.

Don Farrell is a historian and guide for Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours who has lived on Tinian for 33 years. He is the author of History of the Northern Mariana Islands and Tinian and the Bomb, among other books. Don credits his understanding of Marianas history to years of teaching on Guam and Tinian and 35 years of government service, including Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the Guam Legislature, and Chief of Staff to the Mayor of the Municipality of Tinian and Aguiguan.