Hawaiʻi history timeline (quick overview)

A quick timeline: Polynesian voyagers settle Hawaiʻi; Captain Cook arrives (1778); Kamehameha unites the islands (1795 to 1810); missionaries arrive (1820); the sugar era begins (1835); the monarchy is overthrown (1893); the U.S. annexes Hawaiʻi (1898); Pearl Harbor is attacked (1941); statehood (1959); and the Hawaiian Renaissance (1970s on).

• Settlement: Polynesian voyagers arrive by canoe and develop a sophisticated society of aliʻi (chiefs), kapu laws and ahupuaʻa land divisions.
• 1778: Captain Cook lands at Waimea, Kauaʻi; he dies at Kealakekua Bay in 1779.
• 1795: Battle of Nuʻuanu; 1810: all islands united under Kamehameha I.
• 1819 to 1820: the kapu system ends; missionaries arrive. Lahaina is the capital until 1845, then Honolulu.
• 1835: first sugar plantation at Kōloa; large-scale immigration follows.
• 1874 to 1891: King Kalākaua's reign (he built ʻIolani Palace and revived hula); 1891 to 1893: Queen Liliʻuokalani.
• 1893: overthrow; 1898: annexation; 1900: territory.
• 1941: Pearl Harbor attack and martial law; 1959: statehood.
• 1976: Hōkūleʻa sails to Tahiti; 1978: Hawaiian becomes an official language; 1993: U.S. apology.
• 2023: the Lahaina fire. Each era has its own entry in this history category.

Sources: Wikipedia: Battle of Nuʻuanu · Wikipedia: Hawaiʻi Admission Act · U.S. Statutes: Apology Resolution (1993)

Last checked Nov. 1, 2026. Hours, fees and rules can change, so confirm with the official source before you go.