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History Kamehameha III moved his capital from Lāhainā, Maui to Oahu in 1845. {{okina}}Iolani Palace, built later by other members of the royal family, is still standing, and is the only royal palace on American soil. Oahu was apparently the first of the Hawaiian Islands sighted by the crew of HMS Resolution on 18 January 1778 during Capt. James Cook's third Pacific expedition. Escorted by HMS Discovery, the expedition was surprised to find high islands this far north in the central Pacific. Oahu was not actually visited by Europeans until 28 February 1779 when Captain Clerke aboard HMS Resolution stepped ashore at Waimea Bay. Clerke had taken command of the ship after Capt. Cook was killed at Kealakekua Bay (Island of Hawai{{okina}}i) on February 14, and was leaving the islands for the North Pacific. The opening battle of the Second World War in the Pacific for the United States was the Imperial Japanese Navy attack on Pearl Harbor, Oahu on the morning of December 7, 1941. The surprise attack was aimed at the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy and its defending Army Air Corps and Marine air forces. The attack damaged or destroyed twelve American warships, destroyed 188 aircraft, and killed 2,403 American servicemen and 68 civilians. Today, Oahu has become a tourism and shopping haven as over 5 million visitors (mainly from the American mainland and Japan) flock there every year to enjoy the quintessential island holiday experience that the Hawaiian Islands and her multicultural people now personify. A series of earthquakes struck Oahu and the surrounding islands on October 15, 2006, interrupting electrical supplies and knocking television broadcasting stations off the air. Even so, most people continued with their normal routine in metropolitan areas. Preliminary reports said that the first earthquake measured 6.3 on the Richter scale and originated 155 miles southeast of Honolulu. Tourist attractions
Miscellaneous Oahu has been featured in hundreds of movies and TV shows, including Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-O, some scenes of the Jurassic Park movies, and Jake and the Fatman to name but a few. Lost is filmed on Oahu, and a recent television series called North Shore was filmed there. The movie Blue Crush, which starred Michelle Rodriguez and Kate Bosworth, was also filmed on Oahu, as was most of 50 First Dates, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Racing game Test Drive Unlimited (Xbox 360 / PC / Playstation 2 / PSP) takes place here. The title features open-ended gameplay and allows you to discover the various geographical features of the island as well as race and buy and sell real estate. Also, the reality TV show Dog the Bounty Hunter is filmed in the regions of Honolulu, Oahu (as well as other regions in Oahu), and the city of Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawai{{okina}}i. Hawaii is also home base for the band 8mm Overdose, the only U.S. Heavy Metal band ever to extensively tour mainland China. Notes | ||||||||||||
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