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It’s the only palace on American soil
Iolani Palace sits in the middle of downtown Honolulu, and most people walking past it have no idea what they’re looking at.
It’s the only official royal palace in the United States, built in 1882 by King Kalakaua to show the world that Hawaii was a modern, sovereign nation. The name Iolani means “royal hawk” in Hawaiian.
By 1978, the palace had been restored and opened as a museum. What’s inside will reset everything you thought you knew about American history.
Wikimedia Commons/James J. Williams
The palace that lit up before Pennsylvania Avenue
King Kalakaua didn’t just build a palace. He traveled to New York in 1881 to meet Thomas Edison personally and learn about electric lighting…