Honolulu

== History ==
{{For timeline}}
{{stack|float=left
|[[File:Port d'Hanarourou by Louis Choris.jpg|thumb|left|Port of Honolulu, as seen by German-Russian artist [[Louis Choris]] in 1816]]
|[[File:George Henry Burgess - 'Queen Street, Honolulu', watercolor over graphite painting, 1856, Honolulu Academy of Arts.jpg|thumb|left|''Queen Street, Honolulu'', 1856, by [[George Henry Burgess]]]]
|[[File:Honolulu Chinatown fire of 1900.jpg|thumb|left|alt=people in street watching fire in distance|The [[Chinatown, Honolulu#Great Honolulu Chinatown Fire of 1900|Great Chinatown Fire]]]]
}}

Evidence of the first settlement of Honolulu by the original [[Polynesia]]n migrants to the archipelago comes from oral histories and artifacts. These indicate that there was a settlement where Honolulu now stands in the 11th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hellohonolulu.com/history.cfm |title=Honolulu History – |publisher=Hellohonolulu.com |access-date=May 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104055251/http://www.hellohonolulu.com/history.cfm |archive-date=January 4, 2013  }}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=November 2021}} After [[Kamehameha I]] conquered Oʻahu in the [[Battle of Nu{{okina}}uanu]] at [[Nu{{okina}}uanu Pali]], he moved his royal court from the [[Hawaii (island)|Island of Hawaiʻi]] to [[Waikiki]] in 1804. His court relocated in 1809 to what is now [[downtown Honolulu]]. The capital was moved back to [[Kailua-Kona, Hawaii|Kailua-Kona]] in 1812.

In November 1794, Captain [[Butterworth Squadron|William Brown]] of Great Britain was the first foreigner to sail into what is now [[Honolulu Harbor]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kuykendall |first=Ralph S. |date=June 1923 |title=A Northwest Trader at the Hawaiian Islands |page=121 |journal=[[Oregon Historical Quarterly|The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society]] |volume=24 |issue=2 |publisher=[[Oregon Historical Society]] |jstor=20610240}}</ref> More foreign ships followed, making the port of Honolulu a focal point for merchant ships traveling between North America and Asia. The settlement grew from a handful of homes to a city in the early 19th century after [[Kamehameha I]] chose it as a replacement for his residence at Waikiki in 1810.<ref name="Daws">{{cite journal |last=Daws |first=Gavan |year=1967 |title=Honolulu in the 19th Century: Notes on the Emergence of Urban Society in Hawaii |pages=77–78, 83 |journal=The Journal of Pacific History |volume=2 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |doi=10.1080/00223346708572103 |jstor=25167896}}</ref>

In 1850, [[Kamehameha III]] moved the permanent capital of the [[Hawaiian Kingdom]] from [[Lahaina, Hawaii|Lahaina]] on [[Maui]] to Honolulu.<ref name="Daws"/> He and the kings who followed him transformed Honolulu into a modern capital, erecting buildings such as [[Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew (Honolulu)|St. Andrew's Cathedral]], [[{{okina}}Iolani Palace]], and [[Ali{{okina}}iōlani Hale]]. At the same time, Honolulu became the islands' center of commerce, with descendants of American missionaries establishing major businesses downtown.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.honolulu.gov/cchnl.htm#city |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012010232/http://www.honolulu.gov/cchnl.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 12, 2004 |title=About the City, Official Web Site for The City and County of Honolulu |publisher=.honolulu.gov |access-date=May 22, 2012 }}</ref>

Despite the turbulent history of the late 19th century and early 20th century—such as the [[Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom|overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy]] in 1893, Hawaii's annexation by the U.S. in 1898, a [[Chinatown, Honolulu#Great Honolulu Chinatown Fire of 1900|large fire]] in 1900, and the Japanese [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in 1941—Honolulu remained the Hawaiian Islands' capital, largest city, and main airport and seaport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.honolulu-city.com/honolulu-history.htm |title=Honolulu History |publisher=Honolulu-city.com |date=December 7, 1941 |access-date=May 22, 2012 |archive-date=March 18, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318044028/http://www.honolulu-city.com/honolulu-history.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Attack on Pearl Harbor Japanese planes view.jpg|thumb|right|A view of the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in 1941 from Japanese planes. The torpedo explosion in the center is on the [[USS West Virginia (BB-48)|USS ''West Virginia'']].]]

An economic and tourism boom following statehood brought rapid economic growth to Honolulu and Hawaii. Modern air travel brings, {{As of|2007|lc=y}}, 7.6 million visitors annually to the islands, with 62.3% entering at [[Honolulu International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/visitor-stats/visitor-research/2007-annual-research.pdf | title = 2007 Annual Visitor Research Report | publisher = Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, State of Hawaii | date =July 1, 2008|access-date=May 30, 2009 }}</ref> Today, Honolulu is a modern city with numerous high-rise buildings, and Waikiki is the center of the tourism industry in Hawaii, with thousands of hotel rooms.