Firsts and almost firsts in Hawaii ......
Here is the story behind one of Hawaii's "firsts," as noted by former state statistician Robert C. Schmitt.
» Printing: Printing was introduced on Jan. 7, 1822, in a grass-roofed hut on the mission grounds about a half a mile from the village of Honolulu. The press was an old Ramage model of iron and mahogany, hauled around Cape Horn in the brig of the Thaddeus. Twenty-one-year-old Elisha Loomis composed two pages of type for an elementary spelling book, and Chief Keeaumoku of Maui made the first impression.
The first printed government document, dated March 8, 1822, consisted of two "notices" proclaiming royal laws to control the behavior of sailors and other foreigners.
On Dec. 9, 1824, the first commercial printing job took place when the mission press ran off 220 bland bills of lading for Dixie Wilds, a merchant.
Source: "Firsts and Almost Firsts in Hawai'i" by Robert C. Schmitt; edited by Ron Ronck