The introduction of the Solomon Islands to the concerns of the outside world came violently in 1942 with the arrival of military forces engaged in World War II. The construction of a strategically important airfield on Guadalcanal set in motion a chain of events that would forever alter the state of world affairs. The ensuing struggle involved combatants from many nations descending on an island that became known for one of the most famous battles in wartime history. The museum would use this pivotal event in world history as a means of organizing the museum’s presentations, i.e., the people of the Solomon Islands before the war, during the war, and after the war.