20 vintage photos of Hawaii from before it became a state
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Hawaii became the last state to join the union on August 21, 1959.
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Vintage photos of Hawaii show the island’s thriving culture, traditions, and natural beauty.
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Photos also show what it was like to visit Hawaii as a tourist before it became a state.
When President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act on August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the last state to join the union.
Sixty-four years later, the state is known for its island cuisine, beautiful state parks, distinct cultural traditions, and thriving — though controversial — tourism industry.
These vintage photos will show you what the islands looked like before they became part of the United States.
Liz O’Connor and Melia Robinson contributed to an earlier version of this story.
January 1890: Locals mill outside ‘Iolani Palace, the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The monarchy was overthrown by American sugar planters three years later.
Early 1900s: Two local men in their raft resting by the beach at Waikiki Bay.
1900: Native Hawaiians enjoy a picnic.
1901: Vendors sell traditional lei.
1917: A portrait of Lili’uokalani, the Queen of Hawaii, sitting in a chair in Honolulu before her death that year. She had been forced to abdicate in 1895.
1924: A native Hawaiian dancer performs while other women keep rhythm with gourds.
1925: Diamond Head looms on the horizon at Waikiki Beach on Oahu.
1925: A surfer at Waikiki Beach stands on his head as he rides a wave into the shore.
1930s: Female hula dancers find a groove.
1930: Four Japanese tourists pose at the Halekulani Hotel on Waikiki Beach. Tourism started to flourish in Hawaii after Waikiki’s first hotel was built at the turn of the century.
1930: Tourists peer into the mouth of Halemaumau or “House of Everlasting Fire,” the inner crater of Kilauea, the most active volcano in the world at the time.
January 1932: A group of Hawaiian girls smile for the camera.
July 1934: The harbor at Honolulu is serene.
August 1934: Former first sons Franklin Roosevelt Jr., left, and John Roosevelt, right, pose with surfer Duke Kahanamoku in Waikiki, Hawaii.
October 1936: Employees of PanAm Airways in Hawaii play golf among the albatrosses on a makeshift, full-size course on the beach at Midway Island.
1936: People enjoying their lunch at tables on the beach in front of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach, Honolulu.
1940: Traffic hums at an intersection of King Street in Honolulu.
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1950: A migrant worker wearing a straw hat and gloves bends down to plant young pineapples in a field.
1953: Hawaiian surfers Buzzy Trent, Woody Brown, and George Downing surf a 19-foot wave at Makaha, near Waianae, Oahu.
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