History Lessons

Yesterday we took a bus to downtown Honolulu to tour Iolani Palace. Built in 1879, and reopened to the public in 1978 after a 9 year restoration project, it was the home of the last monarchy of Hawaii. The Palace had flush toilets and electricity before the White House or Buckingham Palace. The monarchy was overthrown, the US annexed the islands, and the rest is history sadly. President Clinton was the first president to apologize to Hawaiian natives for the US role in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Interesting history and impressive restoration of this opulent palace.

Today we visited the Hawaii Army Museum which was right in Waikiki. At one time it was a bastion to protect the people of Hawaii and now it tells the military story of Hawaii from ancient times to the Vietnam War. Particularly interesting was the plight of Japanese Americans and their contribution to the US war effort. Admission was free so we weren't expecting much but it was very well done. I didn't take any photos because it was quite dark in there since it was once a battalion, complete with bunkers.Read more