History of Honolulu, HI
Early History It is also unsure when Honolulu, HI was officially named. The word Honolulu means sheltered harbor. In 1809, King Kamehamehal decided that it would be the perfect location from which to rule and moved his court from Waikiki. The location was where downtown Honolulu is currently considered to be. Although the royal building no longer stands, the exact location of the site is known. Western Influence The first foreigners to Honolulu, HI came in 1794 on a ship captained by William Brown. The captain saw great potential in the port at Honolulu, HI and soon word of its existence spread. This brought in other ships to the area. Most of the captains referred to the area as Browns Harbor, although Captain Brown called the area Fair Haven. It wasn't until the 1800's that the name Honolulu came to be in wide spread use. The more people came to the area, the more commerce began to spread. Sailors would stop in the area for a number of reasons. It was the prime shipping area for all of the Hawaiian Islands as well. Many whalers used the port to stop and supply whenever they needed and there was also much sandalwood exported. Many other goods like pineapple and sugar were sought after and people purchased them in quantity. Eventually, people also began to come to the area as tourists, bringing even more money to the area. Finally Honolulu was recognized as an area that was important for defense and military bases were placed there to ensure that the Pacific was protected. US control and Government Over time, western influence began to exert itself over the islands and eventually, Honolulu, HI came under the control of the United States. The islands were annexed in 1898 and the local government became almost nonexistent. In 1905, the city of Honolulu became official and a government with a mayor was set up. The legislative and executive branches were separate but worked together to improve the city. The main figure of the executive branch was, of course the mayor and the members of the council were selected through regularly held elections. The term of elected officials was 4 years. Eventually, the government of Honolulu was described as being a great model for the government of cities in the main portion of the United States. This is reflected in the local governments of many cities that exist in the US. World War 2 During World War 2, Honolulu, HI played an important part in the fight against Japan. The city was used as an area for mobilizing troops in the pacific and millions of soldiers were stationed or passed through the area. The city was, for the most part run by the military during this time and it was the only area of the United Stated that had to deal with this type of rule. This rule was expected to only last 3 months but instead lasted 3 years. Many of the soldiers who died during WW2 are buried in a cemetery in Honolulu, HI
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