Hawaii in the 1950’s

RememberWhen…

Photo credit: chotda on Flickr

Who could forget the historic declaration of Hawaii’s statehood? Do you remember a time when there was no Ala Moana Shopping Center? Do you recall Kilauea Iki’s eruption or Don Ho’s performance at Honey’s in Kaneohe? Did you watch the first color TV broadcast by then KHVH, now KITV-46? If so, you were probably here in Hawaii in the 1950’s.

The 1950’s was a decade full of growth and change in Hawaii. With the declaration of Statehood on August 21, 1959, the 1950’s was a time when the rest of the world first seemed to take notice of our island chain. International commercial flights between Japan and Honolulu and San Francisco on Japan Airlines began during 1953, followed by flights on Qantas Airways and Pan Am. Hotel development also grew, including construction of the Reef, Waikiki Biltmore, Pali Palms and Kaanapali Resort and Hotels. Not surprisingly, it is during this decade that construction out earned sugar and pineapple and tourism began to grow, topping 150,000 visitors for the first time.

Amidst the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, and the Korean War ensuing overseas, the polio epidemic reaching Hawaii’s shores, and James Michener’s Hawai’i being released for publication, the 1950’s was a time of historic change for the world, and for Hawaii and it’s people.

To read more about this decade, follow these links:

• “Historic Honolulu Photos”, by Clifford Kapono
• Family Sojourn in Hawaii (An Aloha Airlines Production)
• Video of the 1950 Mauna Loa Eruption

What are your memories of this important decade? What was it like growing up in Hawaii during this time?