Hawaiian oral history and modern archeology indicate a settlement was established in the area around 1100 AD.

Although Honolulu had briefly housed the royal court in the past, it was Kamehameha III who moved the permanent capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom from Lahaina to Honolulu in 1850. He and the kings that followed him transformed Honolulu into a modern capital, erecting buildings such as St. Andrew's Cathedral, 'Iolani Palace, and Ali'iōlani Hale.

In the Hawaiian language, Honolulu means "sheltered harbor" or "calm port," referring to the natural, deep and narrow channel that makes it an ideal port.

In 1962, the Hawaiian Fashion Guild (HFG) executed a pretty effective direct marketing tactic: distributing two Aloha shirts apiece to every single member of the Hawaii House of Representatives and the Hawaii Senate. Three years later, the HFG formally initiated a lobbying campaign to convince employers to adopt "Aloha Friday," allowing employees dress more casually (that is, in an Aloha shirt) on the last day of the workweek. The concept, officially adopted in 1966, eventually spread to the mainland where it became known as Casual Friday.

Temperatures vary little throughout the year, due to the constant flow of fresh ocean air across the islands, which regulates the temperature. The highest recorded temperature was 95 °F (35 °C) on September 19, 1994, and August 31, 2019. The lowest recorded temperature was 52 °F (11 °C) on February 16, 1902, and January 20, 1969.

'Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu is the only royal palace in the United States and is an enduring symbol of Hawaiian independence. It was the official residence and capitol of the last ruling monarchs of the Kingdom of Hawai'i -- King Kalakaua and his sister Queen Lili'uokalani.

Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961, at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, making him the only U.S. president born outside the contiguous 48 states.

Magnum, P.I. was a crime drama starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV, a private investigator living in the guest house of a 200-acre beachfront estate called Robin's Nest, in Hawaii, at the invitation of its owner, Robin Masters, an unseen character who built his fortune writing lurid novels. The voice of Robin Masters, heard only in five episodes, was provided by Orson Welles.

Overlooked by Captain James Cook and other early explorers, the harbor was first entered by Captain William Brown of Great Britain in November 1794. More foreign ships followed, and the port of Honolulu quickly became a focal point for merchant ships traveling between North America and Asia.

The summit of Puu Ualakaa, better known to even longtime Oahu residents as Mt. Tantalus, offers one of the best views of urban Honolulu and the island's south shore--from Diamond Head Crater all the way to the Waianae mountain range.