History
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A Brief History of the Hawaiian Islands
1778: Captain James Cook lands at Waimea Bay on the island of Kauai, becoming the first European to make contact with the Hawaiian Islands. Cook names the archipelago the “Sandwich Islands” after the Earl of Sandwich. A year later, Cook is killed at Kealakekua Bay on the island of Hawaii.
1790: The Battle of Kepaniwai was fought between forces from the island of Hawaii and Maui.
1795: Battle of Nuuanu takes place on the southern shores of Oahu. It was a key battle in Kamehameha's campaign to unite the islands.
1795-1874: The Kamehameha dynasty reigns over Hawaii.
1810: Kamehameha I unites the Hawaiian Islands.
1819: Liholiho, son of Kamehameha, defies the tradition of men and women eating separately during a feast, which leads to the abolishment of the kapu (taboo) system.
1820: The first missionaries arrive in Hawaii.
1820-1845: Lahaina was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom
1835: The first sugar plantation opens on Kauai. The Hawaiian Islands garner recognition for their prime agricultural land. Agriculture becomes a dominant economic force.
Sugar Plantations
A Brief History (Continued)
1830s-1848: The Great Mahele Kamehameha III sought to keep the land in Hawaiian hands by adopting a western allodial system with a new system that would divide the land into thirds – one-third to the Hawaiian crown lands, one-third to the chiefs, and one-third to the people. In the end, the people received less than 1% as the law required land claims to be filed within two years under the Kuleana Act and many Hawaiians made no claim. This was largely because ownership of land was not a common concept.
1845: Honolulu becomes the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom
1850s: With Hawaii’s plantation production on the rise, a need for more labor is realized. The first workers are recruited from China. Workers also make their way to the Islands from Japan, Korea, the Philippines and Portugal.
1874: William Charles Lunalilo dies leaving no heirs. The Kamehameha dynasty comes to an end. David Kalakaua is elected as Lunalilo’s successor.
1878: Lydia Kamakaeha (later Queen Liliuokalani) pens "Aloha 'Oe"
1881: King Kalakaua becomes the first monarch in history to circumnavigate the globe.
1882: Iolani Palace, the official residence of the Hawaiian monarchs, is completed. The Palace was ahead of its time outfitted with the most up-to-date amenities, before even the White House and Buckingham Palace, including the first electric lights in Hawaii, indoor plumbing and even a telephone.
History around Honolulu
History (Continued)
1887: The 1887 Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii is signed stripping King Kalakaua and therefore the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, empowering the legislature and cabinet of the government. This became known as the Bayonet Constitution due to the force used to gain the King’s cooperation.
1889: Joseph Kekuku from Laie, Oahu invents the steel guitar. He later moves to the US Mainland to share his music with the rest of the world. Steel guitar becomes incredibly popular with country music and is still heard today.
1891: King David Kalakaua dies and Queen Liliuokalani takes the throne.
1893: The overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii begins. Queen Liliuokalani is placed under house arrest at Iolani Palace in Honolulu.
1898: Hawaii is annexed by the United States through the Newlands Resolution.
1900: The Organic Act establishes the Territory of Hawaii.
1901: The first Waikiki hotel, The Moana Hotel, opens on March 11. The resort is affectionately named “The First Lady of Waikiki.”
1917: Queen Liliuokakani, the last sovereign of the Hawaiian Kingdom, passes away.
1941: On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Oahu during World War II.
1945: On September 2, 1945, Japan signs its unconditional surrender on the USS Battleship Missouri. Although the signing didn't take place in Pearl Harbor, the ship is now part of museum and memorial complex at Pearl Harbor, offering activities and tours to visitors from all over the world
World War II History
Recent History
1966: Don Ho releases his signature song, "Tiny Bubbles." The album makes the Billboard Top 20 and stays in the charts for nearly a year. His music and style become synonymous with Hawaiian leisure.
1978: The Hawaii State Constitutional Convention makes Hawaiian the state's official language (the only state in the U.S. with a non-English official language).
1980: Hawaii becomes the home of the NFL Pro Bowl when the AFC-NFC all star game lands in Oahu's Aloha Stadium. The Pro Bowl is hosted in Hawaii for 26 years, until 2017 when it moved to Orlando, FL.
1990: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes located on the island of Hawaii, erupts sending lava through the town of Kalapana. While it destroyed the town, it also created a new coastline that extends nearly 1,000 feet farther into the Pacific Ocean.
2009: Senator Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. Obama, who was the first African American to have served as president, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
2011: Hawaii hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
2013: The Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage begins. The four-year voyage covered over 60,000 nautical miles, 100 ports, and 27 nations, including 12 of UNESCO’s Marine World Heritage sites. The mission was to take Hawaii's iconic cultural sailing canoe Hokulea around the world and her sister canoe Hikianalia around the Pacific and the Hawaiian Islands, to grow a global movement toward a more sustainable world. The voyage seeked to engage all – practicing how to live sustainably, while sharing Polynesian culture, learning from the past and from each other.
2017: Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage completes its journey.
More Ways to Experience Hawaiian History
Read More About Where to Find Statues of Hawaii's Heroes
King Kamehameha I
Read more about the history of the great Hawaiian king who lead a conquest to unify the islands.
ExploreExperience Hawaiian History
Offering three authentic living history programs: HN Greenwell Store Museum, Kona Coffee Living History Farm, & Portuguese Stone Oven Baking. Special Events include lecture series and historical jeep tours and boat cruises.
Pacific Historic Parks operates the USS Arizona Memorial Narrated Tour, Virtual Reality Tours, Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Tours and the Arizona Memorial Museum Store. At Diamond Head, our firm runs the Diamond Head Visitor Center and the Diamond Head Tour. At Kalaupapa, we run the Gift Store.
This Smithsonian-affiliated Lyman Museum tells the story of Hawaii’s islands and people. Exhibits trace Hawaii’s history from its volcanic origins and the flora and fauna that arrived before humans to life in ancient Hawaii and the immigrant groups that helped shape Hawaii’s unique culture of today
The 'Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii offers an immersive Hawaiian journey through time and space, with interactive exhibits, a leading-edge full-dome planetarium, award-winning landscape of native Hawaiian Plants, and a Resaurant with views of Hilo Bay.
Located in the hangars that bear the scars of the Pearl Harbor attack. Aircraft such as a 1942 Japanese Zero and a Wildcat in diorama exhibits. Movie, Cafe, Gift Shop, Free Flight Simulator coupon at www.PacificAviationMuseum.org.
The Kauai Museum is the cultural Sanctuary for the art and artifacts of Native Hawaiians and it nurtures the creative spirit of today's artists.
Tour the historic World War II submarine USS Bowfin and visit our submarine museum and waterfront memorial. Enjoy our numerous outdoor exhibits and gift shop
Trail information, Natural History Museum. Open every day. Visitor programs, volunteer opportunities, research support, local craft and bookstore, no admission charge.
DISCOVERY: In three historic buildings guests can see and feel the dramatic changes the New England Missionaries brought to Hawaii starting in 1820.
U. S. Army Museum of Hawaii housed in a 1911 coastal defense battery. Military memorabilia from early Hawaiian period through Vietnam War. Gallery of Heroes honoring Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross recipients. Gift Shop. Free Admission. Tues - Sat 9 AM - 5 PM