Hawaii: Today in History 6/16
6-16-1897 A treaty annexing the Republic of Hawaii to the United States is signed; the Republic would not be dissolved until a year later
In March of 1897, William McKinley was inaugurated as President of the United States. McKinley was in favor of annexation, and the change in leadership was soon felt. On June 16, 1897, McKinley and three representatives of the government of the Republic of Hawaii –Lorrin Thurston, Francis Hatch, and William Kinney– signed a treaty of annexation. President McKinley then submitted the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification.
The Hui Aloha Aina for Women and the Hui Aloha Aina for Men now organized a mass petition drive. They hoped that if the U.S. government realized that the majority of native Hawaiian citizens opposed annexation, the move to annex Hawaii would be stopped. Between September 11 and October 2, 1897, the two groups collected petition signatures at public meetings held on each of the five principal islands of Hawaii. The petition, clearly marked “Petition Against Annexation” and written in both the Hawaiian and English languages, was signed by 21,269 native Hawaiian people, or more than half the 39,000 native Hawaiians and mixed-blood persons reported by the Hawaiian Commission census for the same year.
6-16-1944 Takamiyama, [Jesse Kuhaulua], Hawaii, 1st non-Japanese sumo champion
Takamiyama Daigorō (髙見山 大五郎, born 16 June 1944 as Jesse James Wailani Kuhaulua in Maui, Hawaii) is a former sumo wrestler, the first foreign-born wrestler to win the top division championship (in 1972). His highest rank was sekiwake. His active career spanned twenty years from 1964 to 1984, and he set a number of longevity records, including most tournaments ranked in the top makuuchi division, and most consecutive top division appearances. He is also the first foreign-born wrestler ever to take charge of a training stable, founding Azumazeki stable in 1986. His most successful wrestler was fellow Hawaiian Akebono who reached the highest rank of yokozuna in 1993. He retired as a coach in 2009.
6-16-1947 Tom “Bones” Malone, American jazz musician, arranger, and producer, born in Honolulu, Hawaii
Thomas “Bones” Malone (born June 16, 1947) is an American jazz musician, arranger and producer. As his nickname implies, he specializes on the trombone, but also plays trumpet, tuba, various saxophones, clarinets, flutes, piccolo and other instruments.
He is famous for being a member of The Blues Brothers band, Saturday Night Live Band (served as leader of the band from 1981 to 1985), and a member of the CBS Orchestra, the house band for the Late Show with David Letterman.
