50 Moments of Statehood

Turning points that shaped Hawaii.
Tiffany Hill, Lorraine Jonemann, Michael Keany, A. Kam Napier,

The news that Hawaii would become a state sparked all kinds of celebration, young and old. Pictured is Dodie Brown when she was 6 years old.

Photo: Courtesy Hawaii State Archives
(CLICK A DECADE BELOW, OR ON THE MENU AT RIGHT, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH MOMENT.)

1950s

  • Hawaii Declared the 50th State
  • Inouye Takes Office
  • Ala Moana Center Opens
  • Regular Jet Service Begins between Mainland and Hawaii

1960s

  • Land Use Commission Established
  • First Merrie Monarch Festival
  • Land Act Reform Passes
  • Hawaii Establishes the Art in Public Places Program
  • The UH Community College System is Born
  • First Live Television Broadcast from the Mainland
  • Zippy’s Opens
  • The First Outrigger Hotel Opens
  • Hawaii Five-O has World Premiere at the Royal Theatre
  • The State Capitol Replaces Iolani Palace as the Seat of State Government
  • Mililani Rises from the Pineapple Fields

1970s

  • The End of Boat Days
  • The University of Hawaii Begins Teaching Hawaiian Studies
  • The First Sunshine Festival
  • Hawaii Dedicates the First Telescope on Mauna Kea
  • Green Harvest Swoops In
  • Police Officer Lucille Abreu Wins Equal Rights For Women
  • Kalama Valley Farmers Protest for Land Rights
  • Hokulea Returns from its First Voyage to Tahiti
  • The Prepaid Health Care Act Goes into Effect
  • Aloha Stadium Opens
  • Eddie Went
  • Rap Unleashes Poi Dog
  • George Helm & Kimo Mitchell Disappear off of Kahoolawe
  • All 34 ConCon Amendment Proposals Pass
  • Bamboo Ridge Press Gives Hawaii Writers a Voice

1980s

  • Kilauea Volcano Erupts
  • Hawaiian Language Restored in the Department of Education
  • Big Box Stores Hit our Shores
  • Voters Save Sandy Beach
  • The Rainbow Warriors End Their Losing Streak
  • The Japanese Real Estate Bubble Pops

1990s

  • Hawaii Regional Cuisine is Born
  • Iniki Wreaks Havoc
  • Sugar Leaves Oahu
  • Hawaiians March on the Palace
  • Congress Passes Apology Resolution
  • Hawaii Rediscovers Architecture
  • Iz’s Funeral
  • H-3 Opens
  • The "Broken Trust" Essay Assails Bishop Estate

2000s

  • Kauai Rejects the SuperFerry
  • The U.S. Supreme Court Opens Up OHA Elections
  • A Governor of Firsts
  • UH Makes it to the Allstate Sugar Bowl
  • No More Aloha in the Sky

 

 

 

This article appears in the August 2009 issue of HONOLULU Magazine.

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