fam = rumor, reputation
(Latin)
Examples:
fame – talk, rumor, report, reputation
famous – much talked about, renowned,
celebrated, held in public esteem
infamous – notorious, of ill repute, dishonorable
infamy – dishonor, bad repute, disgrace
defame – to spread abroad by ill repute,
make a scandal of
defamation – legal term for a false statement that harms the reputation of a
person, business or group (slander is
spoken, libel is printed)
In Roman mythology, the goddess Fama (equivalent to the Greek goddess Pheme) was the personification of rumor, insinuation and innuendo. What
she heard she communicated in a whisper to a
few people, then spread her words louder and
louder until they were spoken to the entire world
and into heaven.
Not truly a goddess, but more a literary conceit,
she possessed many eyes, ears, and tongues, and
her house had innumerable windows from which
she viewed the world.
According to Ovid, her cohorts included Susurri
(gossip), Credulitas (error), Laititia (happiness), and
Timores (terror).
In art and sculpture, she is usually shown with wings
and a trumpet.
Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941
On the quiet and peaceful morning of Sunday,
December 7, 1941, a surprise Japanese air strike
occurred against the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii. Before it was over, 18 ships (including all eight
battleships docked there) and 300 airplanes had
been destroyed or damaged.
Ironically intended to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from
interfering with a large military operation Japan was
planning in southeast Asia, the unprovoked slaughter
of more than 2,400 (including many civilians) and
heavy losses of ships strengthened America’s willingness to enter World War II.
The Power of One Word: As President Franklin D.
Roosevelt drafted his speech to Congress requesting
a declaration of war against Japan, he described
the day of the assault as “a date which will live in
world history,” but at the last minute changed it to “a
date which will live in infamy.” The phrase entered
the national consciousness and rallied Americans
behind the war effort.
Japanese Admiral Yamamoto had intended to
declare war on the U.S. before the attack, but the
transcription and delivery of the message didn’t
arrive through official channels in Washington until
after the air strike began. When he realized his
mistake, he famously said, “I fear all we have done is
to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible
resolve.”
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto