Discover fun and intriguing detailed facts about pre-war Hawaii! Its history, legends, and myths... "Did King Kamehameha use hand grenades? Which British noble once ruled Hawaii? When was Japanese money legal tender in the Islands? Where are there wild kangaroos in Hawaii? What's wrong with serving Poi in koa bowls? Did the ancient Hawaiians celebrate New Year's?" Half-Minute Hawaiiana, a compilation of entertaining and interesting factual items about pre-war (1941) Hawaii, its people, customs, superstitions, history, geography, geology and other phases of Hawaiiana. One interesting fact a day about Hawaii, written in brief, easy-to-read style, is the purpose of Half-Minute Hawaiiana. Publication of Half-Minute Hawaiiana as a series of daily articles written by Donald Billam-Walker was begun in The Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper on November 6, 1939. The series proved so popular with Hawaii's Star-Bulletin readers that it was extended to 100 articles. Requests from readers for more of these articles resulted in the publication during the winter of 1940-41 of a second annual series (comprising 120 daily installments) and continued reader demand necessitated the start November 1, 1941, of a third annual series. This book contains the first annual series of 100 articles plus the first 20 articles of the second annual series, or a total of 120 articles, all revised and brought up to date where necessary and designed to provide an hour's reading of Half-Minute Hawaiiana. It also includes a new preface by Mark "Kimo" Billam-Walker, grandson of author Donald Billam-Walker, a key to Hawaiian pronunciation, a brief pronouncing dictionary of common Hawaiian words including all those used in this book, a list of important dates in Hawaiian history, and a chronology of Hawaii's rulers, as well as a handy quick reference index.