An aerial view of the Maui wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023.
Credit: US Civil Air Patrol

Wildfires, driven by strong winds and fueled by dry conditions, caused great destruction and loss of life on the Hawaiian island of Maui. With strong winds stemming from a distant hurricane and warmer temperatures on the island due to climate change, the wildfires caught and spread rapidly. Three wildfires started in Maui on Tuesday, August 8th, 2023. The Upcountry Wildfire fire began in central Maui minutes after midnight. The fires in Lahaina and Pulehu started later on in the morning. The catastrophic fires took many by surprise as the island was unprepared for the severity of the wildfires.

President Joe Biden issued a federal disaster declaration following the devastation on Thursday, August 10th. Some wildfires started on the Big Island and Oahu but were quickly contained. The Army, Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and National Guard began efforts to extinguish fires and rescue and aid survivors. As firefighters worked to contain the blaze, the death toll climbed to 99 on Monday, August 15th. Many officials warn the number could increase as search and rescue efforts continue throughout the island.

Soldiers in the Hawaii National Guard assist in search and rescue efforts after the Maui wildfires in Lahaina on Aug. 10, 2023.
Credit: Andrew Jackson, US National Guard

Fires destroyed much of the historic town of Lahaina, killing dozens of people and forcing thousands to evacuate. Lahaina, a town with 13,000 residents on northwestern Maui, was hit the hardest. Officials report more than 2,200 buildings were burned to ash and molten metal, including many residential buildings. Fatalities in Lahaina account for most of the death toll from the three fires.

The wildfires have killed more people than the 1960 tsunami that killed 61 on the Big Island. The Laihana wildfire has become the deadliest wildfire on American soil since 1918. In 1918, sparks from a railroad in dry conditions set off a wildfire in Cloquet, Minnesota, killing an estimated 453 people. The deadliest fire in United States history occurred in 1871 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, killing 1,152 people.

Two days before the wildfires began, the National Weather Service in Honolulu announced a fire weather watch due to strong winds and low humidity. However, officials underestimated how fast the fires could spread on a tropical island known for rain forests. Warnings continued on Monday, announcing “critical fire weather conditions.” Hawaii boasts the world’s most extensive emergency alarm system, with 400 outdoor sirens throughout the state territory. Maui has 80 of those sirens. However, the island’s emergency alert systems failed when the fires began. Not one siren blared. On Tuesday, the county officials sent alerts through cell phones, radios, and television. However, many residents had already lost electricity and cell service. Many survivors said they never received an official warning or order to evacuate the area. Some residents only realized there were fires when their home smoke alarm sounded.

The fire spread so quickly that many did not have time to grab essential supplies before leaving their homes. Many people evacuating by car or bicycle were forced to run into the ocean as fires caught up to them. Residents fled through thick smoke and gusts of wind with burning embers swirling around them. Hawaii Governor Josh Green explained the strong winds, reaching up to 80 miles (128 kilometers) per hour, kept first responders from using helicopters to extinguish fires and look for survivors.

As search and rescue efforts continue, the death toll could rise. Many homes burned down have not been checked for survivors or deceased residents. Survivors have been unable to reach family members and friends due to the loss of cell service throughout the island. People are using public radio stations, social media, and county websites to post where survivors are taking shelter.

Experts believe the wildfire was initially started by a power line that fell due to high winds in the area. Many residents are wondering how the fire spread so rapidly. One theory is the presence of nonnative grasses on the island. Farmers planted grasses for livestock. The last sugar cane plantation shut down in Maui in 2016, allowing nonnative grasses to spread unchecked.

On Sunday, August 13th, the Lahaina fire was 85 percent contained. FEMA announced the cost to rebuild after the Lahaina fire would be close to 5.52 billion dollars. With more than 2,100 acres (850 hectares) burned and 2,200 structures damaged or destroyed, many families and businesses will be starting over.

Even if their homes were untouched and standing, many households remain without power. The Maui County authorities advised that residents should not drink tap water. Many people could not find gasoline or clean water through the weekend. As many as 4,500 people are seeking shelter and supplies on Maui. While the search continues, charities and volunteers send survivors bottled water, food, medicine, and other supplies.

U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky competes in the women’s 800-meter freestyle race during the 2012 Summer Olympics. Credit: © Jae C. Hong, AP Photo

On Saturday, July 29, champion American swimmer Katie Ledecky won gold in the women’s 800-meter freestyle at the 2023 World Aquatics Championship in Fukuoka, Japan. She swam the event in 8 minutes and 8.87 seconds, winning her 16th gold medal at the world championships. This win passed a record she had tied with American swimmer Michael Phelps for the most individual gold medals at the world championships in history! Ledecky also became the first swimmer to win gold six times in the same event. She has also won gold seven times at the Olympics. Katie Ledecky has set world records in the women’s 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1,500-meter freestyle events. She is the gold standard of swimming!

Ledecky first gained international recognition in 2012. That year, at the age of 15, she became the surprise winner of the gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle at the Summer Olympic Games in London. She was the youngest American athlete to participate in the 2012 games.

Ledecky was a star of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She won individual gold medals in the 200-meter, 400-meter, and 800-meter freestyle races. She also won a gold medal as a member of the 800-meter freestyle relay and a silver medal as a member of the 400-meter freestyle relay.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Ledecky won four medals. The 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She won individual gold medals in the 800-meter and 1,500-meter freestyle races. She also won silver medals in the 400-meter freestyle race and as a member of the 800-meter freestyle relay.

Ledecky won four gold medals at the 2013 FINA World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, Spain, and five gold medals at the 2015 championships in Kazan, Russia. World Aquatics, the governing body of swimming, was called FINA until 2022. At the 2017 championships in Budapest, Hungary, Ledecky won five more gold medals. She won another gold medal at the 2019 championships in Gwangju, South Korea. Ledecky won four more gold medals at the 2022 championships in Budapest, Hungary. Her total of 19 career gold medals at the World Swimming Championships is a record for women swimmers.

Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky was born in Washington, D.C., on March 17, 1997. She became a national swimming star in high school in Bethesda, Maryland. She set American records in the 500-meter freestyle twice, and the national high school record in the 200-meter freestyle twice. Following the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, Ledecky entered Stanford University on an athletic scholarship. In 2018, Ledecky announced that she was turning professional as a swimmer. Her decision meant she would be ineligible to swim in college events, but she would still be eligible for the Olympic Games.

Ledecky passed Michael Phelps for the most individual world title wins in swimming history. Phelps ranks as the most dominant and versatile competitor in the history of the sport. Phelps has set world records in five different individual events. He has also been part of relay teams that set world records. Phelps set an Olympic Games record by winning 28 medals. His winning 23 gold medals is also an Olympic record.

Michael Phelps of the Unites States competes in the butterfly leg of the Men’s 4×100 Medley Relay held at the National Aquatics Centre during Day 9 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 17, 2008 in Beijing, China. The United States team won the gold medal with a world record time of 3:29:34
Credit: © Cameron Spencer, Getty Images

Phelps has also set a number of records at the FINA World Swimming Championships. At the championships in Barcelona, Spain, in 2003, Phelps became the first swimmer to set five individual world records in a single meet. At the 2007 championships in Melbourne, Australia, he won gold medals in all seven events he entered, setting five world records. At the 2009 championships in Rome, Italy, Phelps won five gold medals, setting four world records. In December 2016, Phelps announced his retirement from competitive swimming.

U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan
Credit: © Feel Photo/Shutterstock

Acting as co-captain for the United States at her fourth World Cup, Alex Morgan is a leading star soccer player. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup is in Australia and New Zealand. With two World Cup wins, one Olympic gold medal, and hundreds of goals to her name, Morgan dominates the field. Morgan is known for her speed and for her skills as a scorer and playmaker. This year she is playing alongside experienced players Crystal Dunn, Naomi Girma, Lindsey Horan, and Megan Rapinoe. New players adding to the team include Trinity Rodman, Sophia Smith, and Alyssa Thompson. The United States Women’s National Team is ranked number one globally. So far, the team has beaten Vietnam 3-0 and tied the Netherlands 1-1. They will face Portugal on Tuesday, August 1. Tune in to watch Morgan command the field!

Morgan, a forward, helped lead the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) to the gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. She also helped the USWNT win a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Forwards are primarily responsible for scoring goals for their team. In 2015 and again in 2019, Morgan helped lead the United States to FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament championships. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. Morgan previously played on the U.S. World Cup team in 2011.

Alexandra Morgan was born on July 2, 1989, in Diamond Bar, California. She did not begin playing club soccer until the age of 14. Club soccer consists of teams playing within a league, in contrast to national teams that represent a country. Her progress was so rapid that she was invited to play on the Under-17 and Under-20 national teams. She was also named a high school All-American. In 2008, Morgan scored the winning goal to make the U.S. team the Under-20 Women’s World Cup champions.

Morgan entered the University of California at Berkeley in 2007. She led the team in scoring all four of her years in college, graduating a semester early with a bachelor’s degree in political economy. Morgan was the first player selected in the 2011 draft held by Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS), the top American women’s soccer league until it ceased operations in 2012. In 2013, she joined the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). She played the 2016 season with the Orlando Pride, an NWSL expansion team, before joining Olympique Lyonnais in France ‘s top women’s league. Morgan returned to Orlando in 2017. In 2020, she played a few games for Tottenham Hotspur in England before, again, returning to play for Orlando.

Morgan made her U.S. national team debut in 2010. One year later, she scored a goal and recorded an assist in the Women’s World Cup final. In 2012, Morgan led the U.S. national team in goals scored (28), assists (21), and points (77), including 3 goals and 4 assists in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. The U.S. Soccer Federation named her the 2012 Female Athlete of the Year.

Morgan is the author of “The Kicks,” a popular series of books for middle-school readers. The books follow the adventures of four soccer-playing seventh-grade girls. The series began with Saving the Team and Sabotage Season (both 2013). Morgan’s young-adult memoir, Breakaway: Beyond the Goal, was published in 2015.

A student using a wheelchair studies in class.
Credit: © ESB Professional/Shutterstock

July is National Disabilities Month. In July 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. That was 33 years ago! The Americans with Disabilities Act, often called the ADA, is a United States law that forbids discrimination based on physical or mental disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states 61 million American adults have a disability affecting their daily lives. That is 1 in 4 American adults, or 27 percent of the country!

The ADA seeks to protect individuals with disabilities that significantly limit one or more major life activities. Examples of such disabilities include blindness, deafness, deformity, muscular and nervous disorders, paralysis, and loss of limbs. The primary goal of the ADA is to ensure that people with disabilities are not denied basic rights and have an opportunity to lead happy, fulfilling lives.

The first right protected by the ADA is the freedom to seek employment. The law bans discrimination in hiring, promotion, and pay. It also requires that employers make efforts to accommodate the workplace needs and limitations of employees with disabilities.

A second section of the ADA states that people with disabilities must have equal opportunities to benefit from all government-run programs, services, and activities. This provision requires many public buildings to have wheelchair-accessible entrances and ramps. It also requires government organizations to make special efforts to communicate with people who have hearing, vision, or speech disabilities.

Other issues addressed by the ADA include the accessibility of buses, trains, hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, and stores. Many transit services and other establishments must provide ramps or lifts for people in wheelchairs, and signs in braille for customers who are blind. The act also requires telephone companies to provide telephone relay services for people with speech or hearing disabilities.

If there is an issue with ADA compliance, a victim of employer discrimination can file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which will take the case to court. The U.S. Department of Justice handles other complaints of discrimination under the ADA.

The National Council on Disability, an independent agency of the federal government, developed the ADA in the mid-1980′s, and Congress passed it in 1990. In 2008, Congress expanded the ADA’s protections to people who can compensate for their disabilities by the use of medication, medical devices, or prosthetics. Earlier decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States had limited the scope of the act’s protections. However, for 33 years, Americans with disabilities have been protected by the ADA.

Classic ice cream sandwiches
Credit: © Brent Hofacker, Shutterstock

Sunday, July 16th, is National Ice Cream Day! Will you celebrate with a classic cone or a new dairy-free ice cream flavor? There are too many options! Ice cream is a popular frozen dairy food. It consists mostly of milk products, sugar, and flavorings. Ice cream may be served by itself or with cake, pie, or other pastries. It also is used in making milk shakes, sodas, cake rolls, and sundaes. Ice cream sandwiches are popular since they do not require a spoon or bowl! Manufacturers make ice cream in many flavors. About one-third of the ice cream sold in the United States is vanilla. Chocolate and Neapolitan (layers of different flavors) rank next in popularity.

The United States produces about 1.4 billion gallons (5.3 billion liters) of ice cream annually. Almost one-tenth of the nation’s milk supply is used to produce ice cream and other frozen desserts. These desserts include ice milk, sherbet, and frozen yogurt. About 7 quarts (6.6 liters) of milk are needed to make 4 quarts (3.8 liters) of ice cream.

Ice cream is served in many parts of the world, but Americans eat more of it than do the people of any other country. Americans eat an average of about 23 quarts (21.8 liters) of ice cream annually.

The milk products in ice cream make it rich in calcium, phosphorus, protein, and vitamin A. Ice cream is also high in calories because of the carbohydrates and fats it contains. There is also a great deal of sugar in ice cream. Many dairy-free options have populated grocery aisles as more and more people are lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance is a condition in which a person feels discomfort after eating or drinking dairy products.

Most of the ice cream consumed today comes from commercial manufacturing sources. But some people still enjoy making their own ice cream at home. The first step in making ice cream consists of combining the two chief ingredients—milk products and sugar—to form a mix. The following steps include freezing and adding air to the mixture. In some ice creams, about half of its volume is made up by air! If manufacturers don’t add air, ice cream would be like a milky ice cube!

No one knows when ice cream was first made. In 1295, the Italian trader Marco Polo returned to Europe from China and may have brought recipes for water ices. During the 1600′s, Europeans used a combination of ice, snow, and a mineral called saltpeter to freeze mixtures of cream, fruit, and spices.

British colonists probably brought recipes for ice cream to America in the early 1700′s. Ice cream became a popular luxury food, but almost all of it was made at home until 1851. That year, Jacob Fussell, a Baltimore milk dealer, established the first ice cream plant. Ice cream became a national favorite during the early 1900′s after soda fountains introduced sodas, sundaes, and other new ways of serving it. Ice cream cones were first served at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis. Ice cream bars appeared in 1921. Ice cream production increased greatly in the late 1940′s. During the first decade of the 2000′s, the United States produced about 1.4 billion gallons (5.3 billion liters) of ice cream yearly.

People gather at a Fourth of July parade in Huntington Beach, California, in 2019.
Credit: © Sal Augruso, Shutterstock

The Fourth of July is Independence Day in the United States. The day marks the nation’s birthday, July 4, 1776, when delegates to the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the Declaration of Independence.

The delegates represented the 13 British colonies, which had come to resent the ever-increasing taxes and restrictions that King George III sought to impose on them. In April 1775, British troops had clashed with colonial militia at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in effect signaling the outbreak of the American Revolution.

The Declaration of Independence explained the reasons for the colonists’ rejection of British rule, detailed the ways in which the British government had violated American rights, and declared the freedom of the American colonies from Britain. Its stirring opening paragraphs stated that the people of every country have the right to change or overthrow any government that violates their essential rights. The ideas expressed so majestically in the Declaration have long inspired the pursuit of freedom and self-government throughout the world. The American Revolution ended in 1783 when Britain recognized the independence of the United States.

July 4 is traditionally a day of patriotism and celebration, including a full menu of picnics or cookouts and fireworks, with popular side dishes of baseball, fairs, parades, and parties. In early days, American Independence Days were occasions for shows, games, military music, and fireworks. Today, most cities and states forbid the sale of fireworks, though many have large public fireworks displays organized by professionals. Many public officials are advising against setting off fireworks as the north grapples with Canadian wildfire smoke and the south faces intense heat waves.

The Fourth of July isn’t just a day for celebration, however. It’s also a good time to reflect on the promise of freedom outlined in the Declaration of Independence and to think about how various groups are still struggling to achieve that freedom.

American entertainer RuPaul Andre Charles
Credit: © DFree/Shutterstock

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning pioneers in a variety of areas.

RuPaul is an American actor, author, and entertainer. RuPaul is best known as a drag queen (cross-dressing performer) and host of the reality competition television series “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which began in 2009.

RuPaul Andre Charles was born Nov. 17, 1960, in San Diego, California. As a teenager, RuPaul moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with his sister. There, he first started performing in what he called “terror drag,” a style that incorporates combat boots, hairy legs, and unkempt wigs. He also started performing in a few different bands, including RuPaul and the U-Hauls and The Now Explosion. RuPaul made several low-budget motion pictures, including a blaxploitation film in which he played the lead character. Blaxploitation films, made popular in the 1970’s, feature Black characters and outrageous plots and action.

RuPaul moved to New York City in the late 1980’s. During that time, he adopted a more glamorous drag style with high heels, styled hair, and make-up. After a few years of performing in nightclubs and working as a reporter for a cable show, RuPaul found international fame with his 1993 pop song “Supermodel (You Better Work).” As an actor, RuPaul made cameo appearances in films like The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995). On TV, he made cameo appearances on shows like “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” (1996-2003) and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” (1993-2001). Out of drag, he acted in the television movie A Mother’s Prayer (1995) and in the feature film …But I’m A Cheerleader (1999).

In 1995, RuPaul became a spokesmodel for MAC cosmetics and chaired the company’s charitable AIDS fund. He hosted his own talk show in 1996, “The RuPaul Show”, but it was canceled in 1998. In 2004, RuPaul released the album Red Hot, which was followed up with Champion in 2009. His later albums include Glamazon (2011), Born Naked (2014), Butch Queen (2016), and American (2017).

In 2009, RuPaul began hosting the reality competition show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Each season follows a group of drag queens as they compete to become “America’s next drag superstar.”  In each episode, contestants compete in various drag-related tasks—such as singing, dancing, sewing, and acting—and then show off different themed looks on a runway. After receiving critiques from RuPaul and a panel of judges, two contestants are selected to lip sync. Lip sync is a style of performance in which people move their lips in time to recorded music. The contestant who performs worse is eliminated from the competition. “Drag Race” has won more than 20 Emmy awards, including outstanding competition program and outstanding host for a reality or competition program for RuPaul.

“Drag Race” has been spun off into international versions, including series in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Thailand, Chile, and the Philippines. Drag queens in Australia and New Zealand compete on a combination show called “Drag Race Down Under.” The American original has a spin-off called “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars.” In this version, previously eliminated queens return to compete again.

In 2020, RuPaul created and starred in the Netflix show “AJ and The Queen,” a comedy about a down-on-her-luck drag queen traveling across the United States. The show ran for one season and featured many performers who had appeared on “Drag Race.”

An adult spotted lanternfly resting on a stem.
Credit: © Jay Ondreicka, Shutterstock

What is red and black and spotted all over? The spotted lanternfly! While these insects look like harmless butterflies or moths, they are damaging multitudes of trees. They have become an invasive pest in the United States.

What is an invasive species? Invasive species are animals, plants, and other living things that spread rapidly in new environments where there are few or no natural controls on their growth. They crowd out native species, putting them at risk of extinction. They also cause billions of dollars in damage each year to agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and public health.

The spotted lanternfly is native to eastern Asia, including China, India, and Vietnam. The first spotted lanternfly detected in the United States was in Pennsylvania in 2014. The insect’s eggs were probably brought to the country in overseas shipments. People have unintentionally transported egg masses on vehicles, crops, and other items, spreading spotted lanternflies to more places in the United States.

Well, what is the spotted lanternfly? The spotted lanternfly is a type of insect called a planthopper. It feeds on a variety of host plants.

Adult spotted lanternflies grow up to 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) long. The adult has forewings that are gray with black spots. The hind wings are red with black spots and partly black and white on the ends. The insect’s abdomen is yellow with black bands. Nymphs (young) are 1/4 inch (0.6 centimeters) to 1/2 inch (1.4 centimeters) long. Nymphs are black with white spots, developing red patches as they mature.

Nymphs hatch in May and jump from plant to plant before developing wings. The lanternfly molts to its mature form in July. Adults can only fly short distances. Adult spotted lanternflies die with the first few freezes of winter. The eggs of the lanternfly survive the winter and hatch in late spring.

Spotted lanternfly egg masses on a tree in spring in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Credit: © Amy Lutz, Shutterstock

Female spotted lanternflies attach egg masses in rows on tree bark and various other surfaces from September through December. They cover the egg masses with a waxy, mudlike secretion. They can lay two egg masses a year, each containing 30 to 50 eggs.

How are these little insects killing trees? The spotted lanternfly has a piercing-sucking mouthpart that enables it to feed on the sap of trees and plants. Spotted lanternflies most commonly feed on the Ailanthus, also called the tree of heaven. However, they feed on over 70 different plant species. While feeding, the lanternfly secretes a sugary substance called honeydew. This secretion attracts other insects to the tree and creates an ideal environment for a fungus called sooty mold to grow. The sooty mold can cause a plant to rot, killing trees and reducing crops. The spotted lanternfly poses a threat to apple and grape crops as well as commercial logging in the United States.

To combat the further spread of the insects, experts recommend removing egg masses from trees. They also advise checking such items as vehicles, camping gear, firewood, building materials, and outdoor furniture for insects and egg masses before moving them.

American civil rights activist and writer Kiyoshi Kuromiya.
Credit: Estate of Kiyoshi Kuromiya

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning pioneers in a variety of areas.

Kiyoshi Kuromiya was an influential American civil rights activist and writer. He helped organize and took part in anti-war demonstrations and protests for civil rights and gay rights. Later, Kuromiya became an advocate for people with AIDS and worked to connect patients with the latest research.

Steven Kiyoshi Kuromiya was born May 9, 1943, at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center near Cody, Wyoming. He and his family were among the 110,000 Japanese Americans forcibly relocated by the United States government during World War II (1939-1945) as part of a policy called internment. One of his uncles, also a Heart Mountain resident, refused to participate in the draft and served three years in prison. After the war ended, Kuromiya’s family moved to Ohio and then to California. During this time, Kuromiya began to realize that he was gay. He used special library privileges his parents had gotten him to read about being gay at the county library. As a teen, he subscribed to the few gay news publications available at the time.

In 1961, Kuromiya moved to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied architecture. There, he became involved in the civil rights movement. He participated in diner sit-ins in Maryland and protests against nuclear testing. In 1963, he attended the March on Washington and afterward met the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1965, he joined a group of protesters staging a sit-in at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and participated in the famous march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. During the march, he was knocked unconscious by the police and required stitches. He became close to the King family during these protests, and he helped to care for the King children in the immediate aftermath of their father’s assassination.

In 1968, Kuromiya organized a protest against the Vietnam War (1957-1975). To draw a crowd, he started a rumor that a dog was going to be set on fire. When a crowd of people arrived to try and stop it from happening, they instead found a flier from Kuromiya. It read, “Congratulations on your anti-napalm protest. You saved the life of a dog. Now, how about saving the lives of tens of thousands of people in Vietnam?” Kuromiya was also arrested that year for distributing a poster that encouraged people to burn their draft cards, a criminal act.

Kuromiya joined one of the first protests for gay rights in 1965, despite not being fully out at the time. The Annual Reminder picket lines at Independence Hall were organized by the East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO), a collaboration between several early gay rights groups, and held on July 4 every year. Kuromiya later became one of the founders of the Philadelphia branch of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), a more radical group fighting for gay rights. The loosely structured group lasted only about a year. Kuromiya continued to host a Gay Coffee Hour on the University of Pennsylvania campus, which became the first gay organization to receive funds from the university.

During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Kuromiya worked closely with the American engineer and inventor Buckminster Fuller. They co-authored Critical Path, published in 1981. The book explored how architecture, design, and technology can be used to solve world problems.

Kuromiya was diagnosed with AIDS in the late 1980’s. Afterward, he became heavily involved in advocacy organizations such as AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) and People With AIDS (PWA). He founded the Critical Path Project, a group that published newsletters with information on AIDS research. Additionally, he established a hotline for people with AIDS to get more information about treatments. He set up a computer lab in his home to enable people with AIDS to connect via the internet, which was a relatively new technology at the time.

In 1996, Kuromiya was one of the plaintiffs in a successful case to get the Communications Decency Act thrown out. This law had placed restrictions on what information could be shared publicly, prohibiting “patently offensive” materials. The law had threatened efforts by the Critical Path Project to get AIDS-related information to people who needed it. Kuromiya lost a 1999 class-action suit that sought to overturn bans on the use of marijuana for medicinal and therapeutic purposes in the United States.

Kuromiya died on May 10, 2000. He has been honored with a spot on the San Francisco Rainbow Walk and a placard on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall Inn, now a national monument.

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.