Honolulu: History, Former Names & Timeline

Port on Oʻahu and capital of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, annexed by the United States in 1898; nearby Pearl Harbor saw the start of the Pacific War.

Map showing Honolulu in 1880 — Border map for 1880. See the world in 1880.

Explore Honolulu in the interactive map

Embed this interactive map on your site

Free to use on blogs, school pages and course sites. Copy the code below; please keep the credit line.

<iframe src="https://chronicamaps.com/?embed=1#y1880-c-honolulu-l-en" width="100%" height="520" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Honolulu: History, Former Names &amp; Timeline"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Interactive map: <a href="https://chronicamaps.com/en/city/honolulu">Honolulu: History, Former Names &amp; Timeline</a> · Chronica Maps</p>

Former names of Honolulu

From	Name	Note
1795	Honolulu

Timeline of Honolulu

Year	Event
1795	Kamehameha I conquers Oʻahu
1845	Becomes capital of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi
1893	Queen Liliʻuokalani is overthrown
1898	The United States annexes Hawaiʻi
1941	Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
1959	Hawaiʻi becomes a US state

Who ruled Honolulu

Derived from the border maps; each row runs until the next recorded border change.

Period	State
500 BC–999	Unclaimed / no data
1000–1814	Polynesians
1815–1913	Kingdom of Hawaii
1914–today	United States

Battles and sites near Honolulu

Battle of Pearl Harbor · 1941

Famous people of Honolulu

Lived	Person
1728 – 1779	James Cook	Navigator
c. 1758 – 1819	Kamehameha I	King of Hawaiʻi

Questions about Honolulu

Which states have ruled Honolulu?

On the historical border maps from 500 BC to today, Honolulu lies within 3 different states: Polynesians, Kingdom of Hawaii, United States.

What are the key dates in the history of Honolulu?

1795: Kamehameha I conquers Oʻahu. 1845: Becomes capital of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. 1893: Queen Liliʻuokalani is overthrown. 1898: The United States annexes Hawaiʻi. 1941: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.

Which famous people are connected with Honolulu?

James Cook (navigator, 1728 – 1779); Kamehameha I (king of hawaiʻi, c. 1758 – 1819).

Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.