1-500 - Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands first set foot on Hawaii's Big Island during these year.

1791 - Kohala-born Kamehameha united the warring factions of the Big Island.

1778 - Capt. James Cook, landed on Kauai at Waimea Bay. Naming the archipelago the "Sandwich Islands."

1779 - Capt. Cook killed in battle with Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island.

1810 - Kamehameha unifies all of the Hawaiian Islands into one royal kingdom.

1819 - Less than a year after King Kamehameha's death, his son, Liholiho, abolishes the ancient kapu system.

1820 - The first Protestant missionaries arrived on the Big Island.

Jan. 17, 1893 - A group of American businessmen overthrow the Hawaiian Kingdom and Queen Liliuokalani with the help of U.S. military.

Dec. 7, 1941 - Japanese attack U.S. military at Pearl Harbor and Wheeler AFB.

Aug. 21, 1959 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs proclamation making Hawaii the country's 50th state.