The Samoan Crisis of 1889
The idyllic South Pacific islands of Samoa seem an odd spot for colonial conflict. Yet the German Empire and the US nearly went to war over control of the archipelago. In 1889 the series of islands, thousands of miles from the US and German capitals, became the center of colonial machinations - until nature intervened and altered the course of history.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar:
www.thetiebar.com/?BowtieLove&MNthe&LanceGeiger
All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Non censuram.
Find The History Guy at:
Facebook: TheHistoryGuyYT/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheHistoryGuy
Please send suggestions for future episodes: Suggestions@TheHistoryGuy.net
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered is the place to find short snippets of forgotten history from five to fifteen minutes long. If you like history too, this is the channel for you.
Subscribe for more forgotten history: mnthe.info/hello/4sEmXUuWIFlxRIFBRV6VXQ.
Awesome The History Guy merchandise is available at:
teespring.com/stores/the-history-guy
Script by JCG
#history #thehistoryguy #Samoa
Revolutionary war lake champlain stories please
colonists were a plague to the indigenous
''Nature saw fit to intervene''...you mean God?
"...one of the lesser-known of the U.S. territorial possessions." Unless you a football fan, in which case names like Troy Polomalu, Mosi Tatupu, Manu Tuiasosopo, Junior Seau (Say "Ow"!), Tua Tagovailoa, and Vita Vea just roll off your tongue. Pago Pago is sometimes referred to as the "San Pedro de Macoris" of the NFL in reference to that Dominican town being the hometown of more enshrinees at Cooperstown than any other municipality in the world.
Thank you for high intelligence details history about Samoa and American Samoa.
human ambition to enslave the poor natives
Unincorporated Territory = Colony in my dictionary.
A prime example of the power of nature, and the smallness of human ambition. Indeed and good timing to remind us, with Earth's magnetic field weakening, and the Sun sliding towards solar minimum, and the Galactic current sheet approaching. Should be interesting times.
History Guy, can you make a segment on regions and/or groups in the south who rejected the Confederacy. Mountain regions of Georgia and the Carolinas initially sided with the Union as well as some religious groups. I descend from one such group, the Mennonites of the Shenandoah valley.
Sort of poetic justice in that storm... "We have guns and they have clubs!" It's ours!!!!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Voter fraud happened🇻🇳🖕 space ghost👻🇺🇸🙏
Where does one acquire a diving suit figurine? It would really tie my room together!
If you are a big NFL fan, you know about Samoans! They have true most per capita NFL players than any other demographic group by far! There’s around 50 Samoans in he NFL, for a population of about 50,000 that’s a lot!
You cracked me up @ ~2:31 🤣😂 I couldn't help myself, and had to watch what I saw as your "glitch in the matrix moment" 5 or 6 times before deciding to share my immature thought with all of you... Check it out... it's just great...!! 🤣😂😹😆😅🤣 PS: Please don't take my comment as a criticism; your channel is literally my absolute favorite channel in ALL of MNthe, period....!! PSS: I wish that you could have somehow been my history teacher for EVERY SINGLE YEAR that I attended school...!! Had this been possible, I likely would have become a history teacher in your honor... I doubt that you will derive from my previous statement the profound impact on myself as a representative of your audience that I intended for it to convey, but I hope that this one comes across loud and clear: Out of the MANY different personalities that can be found across this platform, YOU, sir are TRULY beloved and treasured by your audience...!! And I think that I can speak for all of us in saying: "Thank you very much for all that you are, and for all that you do...!!"
Samoan girls picked Bob Barker off his feet lots.
Once again I learned something abut history. Thanks for the enlightenment.
I really enjoyed this. Can we please have Some mora? .... Ok, ok I can see myself out.
9:10 Not the only human who this remarkable example of human solidarity brought to tears 😭
..SMS Adler..
..HMS Calliope's wheel, is in the Maritime Museum on the Auckland waterfront, while SMS See Adler's anchor, recovered from the wreck, is on display at Navy Museum, Torpedo Bay, Auckland.
..SMS Adler..
THG, if you have not done so already, would you consider doing an upload on the History behind the interesting artefacts you have behind you. Signed, one happy subscriber.
whew, for a minute I was worried about my order of girlscout cookies!
Green bow tie in honor of Saint Pactric's day?
If not for the courage of their fearless crew!!!
If I were in charge of history education, your series would be mandatory watching for every English language history class across the globe for people ages 10 to 21. Thanks you for all of your hard work.
I'm a micro historian. I study one little boomtown in northern California. Sisson, now called Mt. Shasta City. I still have chills that I got as this episode filled in the gaps that actually involve my own study. While this international trouble was brewing, the Moors brothers, first the elder and later his two brothers were making good in the copra business in Apia and with a string of general stores on adjoining islands. Henry J. Moors, the elder who had built the business and asked his siblings to come to help him make them all rich, was posting letters to the American government taking sides in the Samoan family disagreements. My story is that one of the younger brothers traded a boatload of goods to the head of the Fagamolo family for the hand of his "princess" daughter. Oliver E. Moors left an infant son, Holo, his "wife", and was back in the USA in Sisson by 1887 with his brother Frank and by 1889 O E Moors was Postmaster of Sisson. The brothers ran a general mercantile store with the PO, and the Elks Lodge was upstairs. This adds to my theory that his impregnating a young local woman didn't go down well, and the existing 'family' problems and coming political problems led to his abandoning Holo. His big brother might have been a bit 'put off' as well. I still have a link to the Fagamolo family who shared the "princess" story with me. Thanks for doing such a nice job of covering that important event.
I certainly enjoyed this south sea maritime history and with no ads!
curious do you see any Germanic influences in Samoa around the island as you do were germany attempt to establish colony. Really enjoy your vids, thank you
It got a bit dusty around here at 09:20.. then, strangely I hear it was dusty aboard the HMS Calliope as the event happened.
* * * * * C O O L * * * * *
What constitutes an "unincorporated" territory? What does that term mean?
A little known fact about American Samoa is that the natives are non-citizen nationals of the US. Unlike Puerto Ricans and most other territorial natives, American Samoans do not gain the right to sit on juries, vote, or hold public office when they relocate to the one of the states. They are banned from public employment, and despite a proportionally very high presence in the US military, they cannot become officers. In order to gain full citizenship rights, they must go through a naturalization process not unlike those who emigrate from foreign countries.
These are always good videos but please stop dragging & ”hissssssing" your final "S" at the end of words. It's an affect reminiscent of bad preaching. ”Jesus-ssss..". Please don't ruin good history with bad theater. (USMMA 1982)
Point the camera higher
That was when men were men and woman were too.
Her is the proper way to refer to a ship. Not to nitpick, I love your shows.
It was an act of God- obviously, ships with such stupid names were an affront to the sensibilities, and had to be destroyed.
The home of “The Katzenjammer Kids!”
Fine story--BUT , as you know, 1889 was 28 years from 1917 not 18
the "Most ticklish position I was ever in 8:13, Steaming into a Cyclone. Gotta love the Britt's stiff upper lip.
They just wanted Samoa..
Truly this was Forgotten History. Every word of it was new to me.
Andrew Carnegie was Scotch, his name is pronounced kar-NAY-gee, that's the Scots pronunciation, the way you said it, and the way too many folks say it, is wrong. "KAR-na-gee" is the Irish pronunciation. It's like the way folks from NY pronounce Kaufman like "COWf-man." (Kaufman rhymes with Hoffman. Think Andy Kaufman and Abbie Hoffman.)
Dwayne Johnson is Samoan, so is Roman Reigns, and so is Nia Jax. Samoans make great wrestlers, they're naturally big, and naturally strong. They got the _good_ DNA, while the rest of the planet got varying degrees of junk interspliced in our DNA. Thanx, Anunaki. Why couldn't y'all make us _all_ Samoan?!
On the subject of Samoa, the actions of the American Albert Barnes Steinberger in Samoa would make and excellent subject for forgotten history...
" U.S. ships were of the 'sticks and strings' variety, and outdated." As a former tall ship sailor, I found that phrase hilarious, never heard it before. Yet once again THC, well said sir!!!!
You are an amazing storyteller.
British authors say that HMS Caniope survived because it had a strong steam engine, and a crew who could get everything from it and keep it going. ( source BD Baker ).
As so often happens, I had never previously heard of this, neither the conflicts surrounding the Samoan islands nor the storm that ended them. I have know a few Samoan people in my day, and this never came up in conversation. Well, why would it? It happened a hundred years before I knew those men.
I thought Troy Polamalu was the Samoan Crisis.
0:28. That should be 28s years, not 18!
I love Samoa and Samoans. This is an excellent short summary of the politics of the time, and especially of the storm from hell. I have been considering moving to a climate that is warm all the time. I live in the most temperate part of Canada and it's still too goddamn wet and cold in winter and Samoa (as opposed to American Samoa) has been looking more and more like the place to go.
The history of shark Island off the Florida keys
Great story. Thanks.
Thank You Sir!
The wheel of Calliope exists in the Auckland NZ museum. I understand that the crews of the crippled ships cheered her as she clawed her way to sea.
I was a scout in 1978 at the Calliope Sea Scout den in Devonport, Auckland for a short time. I didn't know it was named after her until now.
I consider myself a fairly educated person when it comes to history but this episode was completely unknown to me and I found it fascinating to say the least.
1917 - 1889 = 26
Shows why the Prime Directive is needed.
Thanks for the episode. It made me think of the coaling stations that were key in the Great War. However, my reason for commenting is actually of a completely unrelated subject. Out of nowhere I thought of the late Heywood Hale Broun. His bright garb and wit always made me stay tuned. Could he be history worth remembering ?
You look much better with these glasses than the out of style black plastic frames.
I'm British, and love America, one of your best exports of course being the History Guy. However I do find it irritating, the perpetual historic American criticism aimed at Britain for its imperialism. (Thankfully not from the History Guy). Americans seem completely blind to the imperialism on which the Continental United States was built, driving out not just Britain, but all other powers from the land. And then you still retain various distant territories such as American Samoa.
Whataboutism, eh? It's odd to refer to the American Revolution overthrowing British rule of the 13 American Colonies as "American imperialism." That's a new one. Even the claim that Westward Expansion is "American Imperialism" is a stretch. Anyway, you should chill your knickers in a few episodes of Lost in the Pond.
America fought and shelled Alaskan Native villages over fishing rights. There is a native house (sub-group of a tribe, Tribes often break down into "Houses") that is now allowed to perform the Navy's Anchors Away music as it's own tribal song because of it. It would make a possible good video for you.
@good 'un LOL - Yes it is, but I was Army, so cannot dignify the Navy's song with a title! LOL Although the US Navy song is the 1906 "Anchors Aweigh", it is also often seen as ""Anchors Away" by many. We Americans love to run with incorrect titles and names. LOL
Isn't that Navy song actually titled "Anchors' A-weigh"? Although I suspect that the indigenous peoples of many lands would be or would have been happy to see foreign ships haul anchor and go away.....🤔
I can't begin to imagine being on a wooden ship during a tropical cyclone, much less trying to keep it afloat. Considering I got really seasick on the Newfoundland Ferry, I'm definitely NOT one for life at sea.
2:31 cracked me up!
Honest and informative
"During the storm local Samoans fought hard to save the men..." ...that were recently shelling them, burning their villages and subjugating them. Damn thats selfless. If only in return they could've sailed home and left them alone 😪
Bite on that; Antigravity airplane TR3B PATENT - on yt.
My great-great-great maternal Grandfather was on the U.S.S. Trenton during this storm. He was a career U.S. Navy Sailor (Landsman) dating back to his Union Navy service during the U.S. Civil War.
I am remembering that there is a great political cartoon following this incident that shows all the sailors of all three nations shaking hands in grief. Might be a Thomas Nast. Used this incident as an example with my students of the folly of nations in the Age of Imperialism. On a lighter note, I strangely desire some cookies now.
Oh thank you for this. I didn't know anything about this before hand.
Hey History Guy, Can you do an episode on the USS new Orleans getting to Australia with its bow blown off going backwards
American Samoa is the only US territory that drives on the laft hand side of the road.
So that was the time that New Zealand attacked Germany and won?
Why the Mc in Irish....what names are actually older? Oldest names known seems like history that deserves to be remembered
How about name origins?
Great post, HG.
The story of the USS Oregon is pretty damn cool too
The burning of Kawa Kawa coal was said to be critical to the escape of this one ship.said to be the hottest coal available.
The British navy was ahead qualitatively. Catch up time. Good story.
Great story telling! Sorry, no pirates this time.
Another fantastic video❗️ 🙂📻
Apia would indeed be a disastrous place to be in a cyclone. I have no idea how one could put a half dozen ships in it, as it is tiny, and open to the north. Quite nearby is Pago Pago, which is a terrific hurricane hole.
Funny how the modern diet has changed the Samoan people. In all these historical photos, I can see only a handful of truly Obese people. But today's population has rampant overweight and obesity, perhaps the worst rate in the world. I am a New Englander with ancestral roots in the Whaling industry. According to my DNA scan, I'm about 1/64 Samoan.
It was 27 years before America entered the war against Germany, not 17.
Having been at sea in a tropical hurricane and witnessing the power of the sea against a Carib 41 which barely escaped with all hands intact I have nothing but respect for those who have been pitted against the awesome fury of that wind and pounding surf. We survived by steering well clear of land. Oh what an adventure!!
A crazy situation. Thank you.
The United States and its Navy were more than lucky the storm intervened before they traded fire with the Germans. The American vessels were armed with muzzle-loaded cannon not substantially different from the armament that fought the Civil War and even the Revolution. The Germans had quick-firing breech-loading cannon on modern mountings, capable of much quicker reloading and fire with considerably greater accuracy. Had the Germans brought their armament to bear, it is doubtful any American vessel would have survived the encounter. Few people today realize how close the Samoan confrontation nearly became a colossal American naval disaster, the worst in its history until World War II.
Nature wins inspite of man's contrivances...An ignored theme of life on planet Earth.
I'm confused. If this happened in 1889 and the U.S. declared war on Germany "18 years later" (0:27), then that means the U.S. declared war in 1907, not 1917. Did you mean 28 years later?
who knew
No good reason for the USA to still have American Samoa. Let them vote for either independence or joining the existing country of Samoa.
Polls seem to suggest that American Samoans largely like their current status.
You shuer have a way with words !
Love this channel
Always Awesome!!!!!
Another concise and compelling story from history by Mr. Geiger.
Giving The History guy a like and subscribing has been my best MNthe decision, bar none.
Nature ruled the past.
Thank you, very informative.
Samoa's status as an unincorporated territory means that people who are born there are not American Citizens, but American Nationals, which means that despite living in America, being able to serve in our militaries, are not full citizens. The law that defines this is insanely racist. The legacy of these things is worth pondering on, and if I had any criticism of your show, it is the sterilization you seem to undertake on topics like this.
Respectfully, it is not my job to discuss all potential complaints. This is not an advocacy channel, it is a history channel. While there is a case currently working through the courts regarding birthright citizenship, any American Samoan who wants US citizenship has access to an expeditated naturalization process. Further, not all American Samoans want birthright citizenship, seeing their unique status as a protection of their culture. The government of American Samoa- duly elected- argued against birthright citizenship in District Court last fall. www.courthousenews.com/us-asks-10th-circuit-to-preserve-non-citizen-status-for-american-samoa/#:~:text=American%20Samoa%20has%20been%20a,are%20American%20nationals%20%E2%80%94%20not%20citizens.