An illustration of Kamehameha I.
Credit: World Book illus by Richard Bonson, The Art Agency

Who was Kamehameha, and why do we celebrate him on June 11th? Kamehameha I founded the Kingdom of Hawaii. After Kalaniopu’u, the chief of Hawaii, died in 1782, Kamehameha conquered the island. He later won additional victories. He brought the island of Kauai into the kingdom peacefully in 1810. Kamehameha V named June 11th a public holiday in honor of his grandfather. The early celebrations included carnivals and races. Kamehameha Day was one of the first official state public holidays when Hawaii became a state in 1959. Today, Hawaiians celebrate with traditional customs, including hula. Hula is a traditional Hawaiian dance. Kamehameha is featured on the United States quarter, stretching his hand toward the eight islands of Hawaii.

The Hawaii state quarter featuring Kamehameha I reaching out to the eight islands of Hawaii.
Credit: U.S. Mint

Many chiefs ruled the islands of Hawaii separately. However, Kamehameha was the first to unite the islands. He gained control of Hawaii Island in a bloody 10-year war that began in 1782. With the aid of firearms obtained from white traders, he captured and united the other main islands in 1795, except for Kauai and Niihau. He conquered in the 1795 bloody Battle of Nuuanu Pali on the island of Oahu, using cannons to drive Oahu’s defenders over a cliff near Honolulu.

The local chiefs served as governors of their islands under King Kamehameha I of the Kingdom of Hawaii. In 1810, Kaumualii, ruler of Kauai and Niihau, accepted Kamehameha’s rule. Kamehameha successfully united all eight islands of Hawaii.

Kamehameha greatly increased Hawaii’s foreign trade. Between 1811 and 1830, Hawaii shipped great quantities of sandalwood to China. Money from the sandalwood trade provided a major source of income for Kamehameha I and two later kings. The kings used the money to buy arms, clothing, ships, and other goods.

Kamehameha kept alive the old customs and religion of his people, but after his death on May 5, 1819, missionaries spread Christianity throughout the islands. Kamehameha was born in the Kohala district of the island of Hawaii. A statue of him represents Hawaii in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Kamehameha’s son Liholiho became Kamehameha II after his father died in 1819. As one of his first acts, Kamehameha II abolished the religion of the Hawaiian kingdom. This religion included many orders of priests, the belief in many gods and goddesses, and strict taboos. But the king allowed the practice of personal religious beliefs.

Prince Charles, the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II, became King Charles III in 2022.
© Jeff Gilbert, Alamy Images

Saturday, May 6th, was the coronation of King Charles in London, England. Charles III became king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died on Sept. 8, 2022. During the coronation ceremony, he received the crown and other symbolic items as king of the United Kingdom.

This coronation was only the second in history to be televised. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place on June 2nd, 1953, and was the first televised ceremony. Diplomats, leaders, and other royals attended the ceremony honoring King Charles III at Westminster Abbey. Eight months after the death of its longest-reigning sovereign, the United Kingdom tuned in to crown King Charles III in front of thousands.

Queen Consort Camilla was crowned alongside King Charles. In February 2022, Queen Elizabeth II announced that Charles’ wife, Camilla, will be named Queen Consort once Charles inherits the throne. The current heir to the throne, Prince William, his wife, Princess Catherine, and their three children attended. Prince Harry, King Charles’ second-born son, also attended the ceremony. His wife Meghan, the Dutchess of Sussex, and their two children remained in California during the festivities.

Since the accession of the throne is accompanied by death, the royal family waits to celebrate the coronation. The ceremony is steeped in traditions dating back to the A.D. 750′s. The archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby presented the monarch to the audience and performed the steps of the coronation. King Charles took the coronation oath, swearing to rule justly and to support the Church of England. He was given a Bible, sword, rod, orb, ring, and a cloak of gold cloth as symbols of ruling. After receiving those symbols, the archbishop of Canterbury placed the crown on King Charles’ head. The service continued, and then King Charles processed out of the church to a banquet.

King Charles was heir to the throne for 70 years before being named king. Charles was born on Nov. 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace in London. He was the eldest child of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1958, Queen Elizabeth officially named Charles Prince of Wales, the 700-year-old title traditionally given to the heir to the throne. In 1969, she presented the prince to the people of Wales in a ceremony at Caernarfon Castle in Wales.

Prince Charles enrolled at the Royal Air Force College in 1971 and graduated from its advanced flying course later that year. He then entered the Royal Navy and served until 1976. In the Navy, his activities included flying helicopters and commanding a ship, the minehunter Bronington. As prince, Charles concerned himself with such issues as disadvantaged people, education, and the environment. He also has been a critic of modern architecture. Charles is the founder of two charitable organizations—The Prince’s Trust and The Prince’s Youth Business Trust.

January 29, 2020

Today, January 29, marks 200 years since the death of King George III of the United Kingdom in 1820. George was king during one of the most critical periods in British history. He succeeded his grandfather George II in 1760. During the following 60 years, revolutions and other major events changed many aspects of British life.

King George III of the United Kingdom died 200 years ago on Jan. 29, 1820. Credit: © Shutterstock

The French Revolution (1789-1799) led to a war between Britain and France that threatened Britain’s existence. The American Revolution (1775-1783) cost Britain the American Colonies that became the United States. The Industrial Revolution during the late 1700′s and early 1800′s created a new society and more than doubled the British population. Britain also acquired new territories in southern Africa, southern Asia, and Australia during the reign of George III. The Act of Union, which became effective in 1801, brought Ireland into the kingdom, which was then called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

George III took a far greater part in governing the country than did George II. He tried to destroy the power of the Whig aristocrats, who had held control for many years under Sir Robert Walpole, Henry Pelham, and the Duke of Newcastle. George chose his ministers, especially Lord North and William Pitt the Younger, with this in mind. In North America, George’s policies and attitude toward the colonists helped fuel the revolutionary fervor that led to war.

George was born in London on June 4, 1738. He probably suffered from a nervous system disorder now known as porphyria. The sickness struck at various times and made George appear to be mentally ill. By 1810, the “mad king” had become incapable of logical acts and was thought to be insane. His eldest son, George, the Prince of Wales, ruled as regent from 1811 until his father’s death, when he succeeded him as George IV.

February 20, 2019

On Feb. 20, 1547, 472 years ago today, young Edward Tudor became King Edward VI of England and Ireland. The son of King Henry III, who had died the month before, Edward was just 9 years old when he took the throne. Because of Edward’s youth, his uncle Edward Seymour, who soon became the Duke of Somerset, governed for him as Protector of England. In 1549, the Earl of Warwick, later called the Duke of Northumberland, took Somerset’s place.

King Edward VI of England and Ireland. Credit: Edward VI (1546), oil on panel attributed to William Scrots; Windsor Castle/Royal Collection Trust

Edward VI was born on Oct. 12, 1537, in what is now part of London. His mother, Jane Seymour, was the third wife of Henry III and died shortly after Edward’s birth. Henry had separated the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Edward, Somerset, and Northumberland all wished England to continue its new Protestant path.

Edward’s reign—troubled by economic woes, social unrest, and war with Scotland—was a brief one. Just six years after becoming king, he became fatally ill with a fever and severe lung infection (most likely tuberculosis). Before Edward died, he named his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey, who was also Northumberland’s daughter-in-law, as his successor. Edward’s half sister Mary had been next in line for the throne, but she was a devout Roman Catholic. Lady Jane reigned for only nine days before she was dethroned in favor of Mary. Edward died at age 15 on July 6, 1553.