Memory Lane

Some History on the Beginning of Electricity In Hawaii

Let’s go back to the official home of Hawaii’s last monarchs. Why? Because it was electric!

In 1882, King Kalakaua finished building Iolani Palace on the island of Oahu. It still stands today and is known as “one of the most recognizable buildings in Hawaii.” It’s a monument of history that brings us back to the time and lives of Hawaii’s former royal family. 

More so, Iolani Palace is a historic account of Hawaii’s role in electric power. In 1886, it was the first building in Hawaii and one of the first royal occupations in the world to have electricity. King Kalakaua’s interest in Thomas Edison’s light bulb sparked his decision to implement them in the palace. On his birthday, November 16th, in 1886, the palace was fully lit with lightbulbs.

Two years after the palace was given electricity, Princess Kaiulani flipped the circuit switch that  sent electricity to light the streets of Honolulu for the first time. By 1890 over 700 Hawaii homes had electric lights while the majority of the United States didn’t. The Hawaiian Electric Company, Ltd. was then established in 1891.

In a short span of less than a decade, Iolani Palace led the way for electricity in Hawaii. It had electricity before Buckingham Palace and even before the White House. Not to mention it also had indoor plumbing and a telephone system.

Innovation through technology being brought to Hawaii led it to being one of the more advanced places to be in the late 1800s. Since then, and especially now, electrical solutions have always helped Hawaii flourish. Utilizing technology leads to improved productivity and reduced costs, better quality of products and services to meet customer needs, a larger product range for higher sales and profit, better handled legal and environmental issues, added value for businesses, and more staff retention for businesses as well.

So next time you go to Oahu, go see the palace and think about how cool it is to be looking at one of the first buildings that utilized electricity in Hawaii! 

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