The history of Hawaii started more than 1500 years ago when the Polynesians came to Hawaii from the Marquesas Islands. They traveled over 2000 miles across the vast Pacific Ocean with only the stars to guide their navigation. A second group of settlers arrived 500 years later coming from Tahiti bringing with them their own culture.
Hawaii was united under one ruler during the year 1810. Kamehameha became Hawaii’s first ruler; he was responsible for uniting the different warring chieftains of the different islands of Hawaii.

The first Protestant missionaries arrived in the island in 1820, teaching the locals and converting them to Christianity. Hawaii then became an important port of call for seamen, merchants and whalers. Because of the increase in western people coming to the island, the locals succumbed to a lot of western diseases that greatly affected the population.

In 1893 American colonists overthrew the ruling Hawaiian monarchy in a peaceful coup, five years later Hawaii then became a recognized territory of America. Sugarcane and pineapple were the two products driving Hawaii’s booming economy during this time. This brought in many migrants from the Philippines, China, Portugal and Japan.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941 was a historical moment in the history of Hawaii; this was the start of World War II for America, which lasted until 1945.

Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States of America when then President Dwight Eisenhower signed the bill that allowed the island statehood.