How American Businessmen Stole an Entire Country in 1893 episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 7, 2026 · 25 MIN

How American Businessmen Stole an Entire Country in 1893

from Elsewhere · host Tyler Cooper

What if I told you that 162 Marines and 13 businessmen could steal an entire country? In 1893, American sugar barons pulled off one of history's most audacious land grabs, overthrowing the Hawaiian Kingdom in a single day. Tyler Cooper breaks down how Queen Liliuokalani lost her throne to a handful of entrepreneurs with big ambitions and bigger bank accounts. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • The exact 24-hour timeline of how American businessmen overthrew a sovereign nation • Why President Cleveland called the takeover illegal but couldn't stop it • How 13 Committee of Safety members convinced the US military to back their coup • The surprising international treaties Hawaii had before becoming American territory 👤 Perfect for: anyone who thinks they know how Hawaii became the 50th state (spoiler: it wasn't voluntary). 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Tyler Cooper introduces the Hawaiian Kingdom you never learned about [02:15] Queen Liliuokalani's last stand against American sugar interests [04:30] How 162 Marines changed the Pacific forever [07:00] The Committee of Safety's master plan unfolds [09:30] President Cleveland's investigation and why it didn't matter [11:00] What this coup means for modern geopolitics 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow Elsewhere on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for your daily dose of history that actually happened. Tyler drops new episodes every day, so you'll never run out of stories that make you question everything you thought you knew. 🔍 Topics: Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Liliuokalani, American imperialism, Pacific history, territorial expansion -------------- Keywords: global news, world events explained, political analysis, global affairs, explainer podcast, international conflicts, world history Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if I told you that 162 Marines and 13 businessmen could steal an entire country? In 1893, American sugar barons pulled off one of history's most audacious land grabs, overthrowing the Hawaiian Kingdom in a single day. Tyler Cooper breaks down how Queen Liliuokalani lost her throne to a handful of entrepreneurs with big ambitions and bigger bank accounts. 🎯 What You'll Learn: • The exact 24-hour timeline of how American businessmen overthrew a sovereign nation • Why President Cleveland called the takeover illegal but couldn't stop it • How 13 Committee of Safety members convinced the US military to back their coup • The surprising international treaties Hawaii had before becoming American territory 👤 Perfect for: anyone who thinks they know how Hawaii became the 50th state (spoiler: it wasn't voluntary). 📍 Chapters: [00:00] Tyler Cooper introduces the Hawaiian Kingdom you never learned about [02:15] Queen Liliuokalani's last stand against American sugar interests [04:30] How 162 Marines changed the Pacific forever [07:00] The Committee of Safety's master plan unfolds [09:30] President Cleveland's investigation and why it didn't matter [11:00] What this coup means for modern geopolitics 🔔 Never miss an episode: Follow Elsewhere on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for your daily dose of history that actually happened. Tyler drops new episodes every day, so you'll never run out of stories that make you question everything you thought you knew. 🔍 Topics: Hawaiian Kingdom, Queen Liliuokalani, American imperialism, Pacific history, territorial expansion -------------- Keywords: global news, world events explained, political analysis, global affairs, explainer podcast, international conflicts, world history Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How American Businessmen Stole an Entire Country in 1893

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This episode was published on July 7, 2026.

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What if I told you that 162 Marines and 13 businessmen could steal an entire country? In 1893, American sugar barons pulled off one of history's most audacious land grabs, overthrowing the Hawaiian Kingdom in a single day. Tyler Cooper breaks down...

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