Among the more memorable moments of Rodziński's career, he was on the podium as a guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Although Rodziński declined to announce the news — the concert was being broadcast live on the radio — he led the Philharmonic in a performance of the Star-Spangled Banner. Later, he noted that the demands of World War II on young men should inspire orchestras to take the then-unprecedented step of adding women to their ranks. In his view, women would make “an excellent addition to any first class symphony orchestra.”