The Empire of Japan was kickstarted from this small chain of islands that are a thousand kilometers in the Pacific Ocean. 

These islands, the Ogasawara Islands, also set the stage for the end of the once great Japanese Empire. 

You may have heard of a couple of these islands, such as Chichi-Jima and Iwo Jima, although this story starts long before World War II. 

Check out this very interesting video from Rare Earth to learn more about this fascinating group of islands and their history. 

I would love to hear your thoughts about this video in the comment section below!