FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-157

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 21, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we learn some history about the formation of this geological paradise while celebrating her entrance into this United States of America union.

ISLAND STATE

Hawaii was admitted into the Union 65 years ago, on August 21, 1959.

Hawaii was settled by humans through several waves of Polynesians landing between 1000 and 1200 BC/CE.  Inhabitants of each island evolved to have their own subculture and chiefdoms.  They fought each other frequently. 

Chief Kamehameha ended this, conquering all of Hawaii and then he became King of the unified Hawaii in 1795.  It was an independent nation from 1810 to 1893. 

James Cook, the famous British explorer, landed in 1798 as the first European on the islands.  Subsequently waves of missionaries, investors, farmers, etc. followed as the nation grew.   The landowners eventually led the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.  In 1898 Hawaii became a US Territory. 

Hawaii is not only young in human terms but also geologically.  It was formed by volcanic eruptions, raising magma above the ocean.  Kauai is 4 million years old and Hawaii, the Big Island, is a mere 300,000 years old.   The world’s tallest mountain, measured from its sub-surface base, resides here – the Big Island’s Mauna Kea at 33,500 feet.

This colorful map of Hawaii was issued for Hawaiian Airlines in the 1970s.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.