logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2025
51m 57s

The First Hawaiians

History Hit
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Sep 13
The First Punic War
How did the Romans ambush a massive Carthaginian fleet from behind a Sicilian island to win one of history's fiercest sea battles? For over 20 years, Rome and Carthage fought a brutal war for supremacy over Sicily. Tristan Hughes is joined by Carthage expert Dr. Eve MacDonald to ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 10
Iron Age Ireland
How much of Iron Age Ireland is myth, and how much is archaeological reality? At the monumental Hill of Tara, sacred kings ruled over a landscape steeped in ancient ritual and ancestral memory.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. John Waddell, author of The Celtic World, to explore th ... Show More
52m 48s
Sep 6
Human Origins: Did We Begin in Africa?
The story of human origins is often imagined as a simple journey from Africa, but is the truth actually much messier? Tristan Hughes and leading palaeoanthropologist Prof. Chris Stringer dismantle the traditional narrative, discussing how recent breakthroughs in fossils and ancie ... Show More
58m 54s
Recommended Episodes
May 2025
The First Hawaiians
Long before Hawaii became a U.S. state, it was home to a rich and vibrant culture. In this episode, we journey back to ancient Hawaii to learn how early Hawaiians crossed the ocean in canoes, cared for the land and sea, and lived by values like aloha and respect. Discover their a ... Show More
9m 54s
Jan 2024
First Polynesians
<p>In small wooden canoes and with just the stars for navigation, how did the first Polynesians conquer the largest ocean on earth? For centuries this has perplexed scholars and anthropologists. The Polynesian Triangle is drawn by connecting the points of Hawaii, New Zealand, and ... Show More
38m 35s
May 2024
Polynesian Exploration
Modern genetics tells us that the residents of the far-flung Polynesian islands are one of the most closely related people in the world. But, thanks to the exploration of their ancestors, they’re also the most widely dispersed. Polynesian exploration of the Pacific has been compa ... Show More
50m 58s
May 2021
Kika Kila
How an invention from the Hawai'ian islands changed the world. Featuring Hawai'ian musician and educator Alan Akaka and historian John Troutman, curator of American music at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Learn more about your ad-choices at htt ... Show More
55m 54s
Sep 2023
Origins of the Māori
<p>Around the time of the start of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, and the Black Death was devastating tens of millions of people in Europe and Asia, waves of migration from Polynesia laid the foundations of the Māori society in Aotearoa - modern-day New Zealan ... Show More
42m 42s
Jul 2021
Ancient Pacific Navigation, Part 3
The original discoverers of the Polynesian Islands traversed a vast ocean, bringing civilization to islands untouched by human activity. How did they do it? In this Stuff to Blow Your Mind three-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the sheer scale of the Pacific Ocean and environmental ... Show More
49m 16s
Jun 2022
From the Vault: Pacific Navigation, Part 1
The original discoverers of the Polynesian Islands traversed a vast ocean, bringing civilization to islands untouched by human activity. How did they do it? In this classic Stuff to Blow Your Mind two-parter, Robert and Joe discuss the sheer scale of the Pacific Ocean and environ ... Show More
42m 7s
Nov 2022
Easter Island
First inhabited by the Rapa Nui people a thousand years ago, Easter Island is best known for its hundreds of giant stone statues. But what inspired a group of ancient Polynesian explorers to settle in such a remote spot in the South Pacific? How did they almost bring their own co ... Show More
54m 50s
Oct 2024
Your Prehistoric Ancestors: More Sophisticated than you think!
<p><em>Check out my new podcast 'Transatlantic: An Irish American History Podcast' with Damian Shiels https://linktr.ee/transatlanticpod</em></p><br><p>In this captivating episode, I explore the enigmatic world of prehistoric Ireland. I am joined by Professor Gabriel Cooney to di ... Show More
31m 16s
May 2019
SYMHC Classics: Lili'uokalan -- Who Was the Last Queen of Hawaii?
Today we're revisiting a 2010 episode from previous hosts Katie and Sarah. Born in 1838, Lili'uokalani became the queen of Hawaii in 1891. Unfortunately, she was destined to be Hawaii's last monarch. Listen in and learn how Hawaii became a state in this podcast. Learn more about ... Show More
16m 14s