11 Shocking Things You Had No Idea Happened In Hawaii

A state rich with political, military, and monarchy history, there are definitely some shocking events that have occurred in Hawaii throughout the years. Some of these events have become common knowledge, but others are more obscure, like these eleven shocking things in Hawaii’s past you might not have known about.

1) During World War II, the Federal Reserve printed special money for Hawaii to make it easy to render the bills useless if the Japanese were to conquer the islands.

2) On September 11, 1992, the eye of category 4 Hurricane Iniki passed over the island of Kauai. Steven Spielberg, and more than 130 cast members of the Jurassic Park film, were there to witness it. Some of the shots in the movie are of the actual hurricane.

3) In July of 1934, President Roosevelt visited Hawaii, making him the first United States president to set foot on Hawaiian soil.

4) On April 1, 1946 a massive tsunami hit the Big Island, near Hilo.

5) Hawaii and Alaska both have the same highest recorded temperature, of 100 degrees. This is the lowest recorded high temperature for the United States.

6) Sega, formerly known as Standard Games, was actually an American company started in Hawaii.

7) Remember the 1990s Pogs craze? Yeah, that was started in Hawaii when a 5th grade teacher showed her class the game she used to play as a little girl.

8) A Hawaii Pidgin translation of the Bible was published in 2000.

9) Until 2014, Hawaii police could legally have sex with prostitutes in order to bust prostitution rings.

10) Before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the captain of the USS Dobbin went missing in the mountains of Hawaii. Hundreds of sailors and military dogs went in search of Latimore, but he was never found.

11) Established in 1969, Taylor Camp was a hippie colony in Hawaii who took in anyone who wanted to escape the insanity of modern life. Residents lived in make-shift homes, and clothing was optional.

Do any of these occurrences surprise you? If you know of any other shocking things that have happened in Hawaii, share them with us in the comments below.

Megan Shute

With more than 10 years of experience as a professional writer, Megan holds a degree in Mass Media from her home state of Minnesota. After college, she chose to trade in her winter boots for slippahs and moved to the beautiful island of Oahu, where she has been living for more than five years. She lives on the west side but is constantly taking mini-road trips across the island and visits the neighboring islands whenever she can getaway. She loves hiking, snorkeling, locally-grown coffee, and finding the best acai bowl on Oahu.