It was a sunny August day in 1912. People crowded onto a pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Everyone was watching the ocean, waiting.

    Down below, a man lay on a long wooden board. He paddled through the water with his arms. A wave curled toward him, growing larger and larger. With a quick hop, the man stood up. He glided along the wave, riding toward the shore.

    At first, the crowd was silent. Was he standing on water? 

    Then everyone started clapping and cheering. For most of them, this was their first time seeing someone surf. They were watching a man from Hawaii named Duke Kahanamoku. And he was on a mission to bring his sport to the world.

    It was 1912. It was a sunny day in August. People crowded onto a pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. They looked down toward the ocean. 

    They saw a man on a long wooden board. He was lying down. A wave curled toward him. It grew larger. With a quick hop, the man stood up. He rode the wave toward the shore.

    The crowd was silent. Was he standing on water? 

    Then everyone clapped and cheered. Most of them had never seen someone surf before. They were watching Duke Kahanamoku. He was from Hawaii. He wanted to bring his sport to the world.

    It was a sunny August day in 1912 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. People were crowded onto a pier, watching the ocean—and waiting. 

    Down below, a man lying on a long wooden board paddled through the water with his arms. A wave that was growing larger and larger curled toward him. With a quick hop, the man stood up, and then he glided along the wave, riding toward the shore.

    At first, the crowd was silent. Was he standing on water? 

    Then everyone started clapping and cheering. For most of them, this was their first time seeing someone surf. They were watching a man from Hawaii named Duke Kahanamoku. And he was on a mission to bring his sport to the world.

    Surfing seemed new and exciting to the crowd in Atlantic City. But in Hawaii, it was nearly 1,000 years old. To Native Hawaiians, surfing was known as he‘e nalu, or wave sliding. They told stories of powerful gods and goddesses who took to the sea on their boards. All kinds of people loved surfing: young and old, rich and poor. 

    But beginning in the late 1700s, people from Europe and the United States started coming to Hawaii. They changed it forever. These outsiders didn’t understand or respect Hawaiian culture—including surfing. They chopped up Hawaiians’ wooden surfboards and turned them into desks for schools.

    Meanwhile, America slowly took control of the islands. The Hawaiian language was banned from schools. Hula dancing was forbidden. In 1898, the U.S. government officially added Hawaii as an American territory.

    Surfing was new to the crowd in Atlantic City. But in Hawaii, it was nearly 1,000 years old. To Native Hawaiians, surfing was known as he‘e nalu, or wave sliding. They told stories of gods and goddesses who rode the waves. Everyone loved surfing: young and old, rich and poor. 

    But in the late 1700s, people from Europe and the United States started coming to Hawaii. They changed it forever. They didn’t understand or respect Hawaiian culture. They chopped up Hawaiians’ wooden surfboards. They turned them into desks for schools.

    America slowly took control of the islands. The Hawaiian language was banned from schools. Hula dancing was forbidden. In 1898, the U.S. government officially made Hawaii an American territory.

    For the crowd in Atlantic City, surfing seemed new and exciting. But in Hawaii, it was nearly 1,000 years old. Surfing was known as he‘e nalu, or wave sliding, to Native Hawaiians. They told stories of powerful gods and goddesses who took to the sea on their boards. All kinds of people loved surfing: young and old, rich and poor. 

    But beginning in the late 1700s, people from Europe and the United States started coming to Hawaii, changing it forever. These outsiders didn’t understand or respect Hawaiian culture—including surfing. They chopped up Hawaiians’ wooden surfboards and turned them into desks for schools.

    Meanwhile, America slowly took control of the islands. The Hawaiian language was banned from schools, and hula dancing was forbidden. In 1898, the U.S. government officially added Hawaii as an American territory.

    But surfing did not die out. Duke Kahanamoku was born in 1890. He grew up surfing after school. He lived in Honolulu, Hawaii’s largest city. 

    Kahanamoku first got famous as a swimmer. Dragging a 114-pound surfboard through the water had made him strong. At the 1912 Summer Olympic Games, he became the first Native Hawaiian athlete to win an Olympic medal.

    After that, Kahanamoku was invited to show off his swimming skills. He visited pools and beaches across the U.S. Back then, many Americans could not point to Hawaii on a map. So Kahanamoku became a kind of ambassador for his beautiful islands. He decided to use his fame to bring surfing to America. 

    That’s how Kahanamoku ended up in Atlantic City in the summer of 1912. As he toured the country, kids and teens were inspired. They wanted to try surfing for themselves. The sport slowly became popular across the U.S.

    But surfing did not die out. Duke Kahanamoku was born in 1890. He grew up surfing after school. He lived in Honolulu. That’s Hawaii’s largest city. 

    Kahanamoku first got famous as a swimmer. Handling a 114-pound surfboard had made him strong. He won a medal at the 1912 Summer Olympic Games. He was the first Native Hawaiian athlete to win one.

    After that, Kahanamoku was invited to show off his swimming skills. He visited places across the U.S. Back then, many Americans could not point to Hawaii on a map. So Kahanamoku became a kind of ambassador for his beautiful islands. He wanted to use his fame to bring surfing to America. 

    That’s why he was in Atlantic City in 1912. As he toured the country, kids and teens were inspired. They wanted to surf. The sport slowly became popular across the U.S.

    But surfing did not die out. Duke Kahanamoku, who was born in 1890, grew up surfing after school. He lived in Honolulu, Hawaii’s largest city. 

    Dragging a 114-pound surfboard through the water made Kahanamoku strong, and he first became famous as a swimmer. At the 1912 Summer Olympic Games, he became the first Native Hawaiian athlete to win an Olympic medal.

    After that, Kahanamoku was invited to show off his swimming skills at pools and beaches across the U.S. Back then, many Americans could not locate Hawaii on a map, so Kahanamoku became a kind of ambassador for his beautiful islands. He decided to use his fame to bring surfing to America. 

    That’s how Kahanamoku ended up in Atlantic City in the summer of 1912. As he toured the country, kids and teens were inspired. They wanted to try surfing for themselves, and the sport slowly became popular across the U.S.

    In 1959, Hawaii became our 50th state. Kahanamoku was named the new state’s Ambassador of Aloha. (Aloha is a Hawaiian word. It has many meanings, including “love” and “welcome.”) He greeted celebrities and world leaders who visited the islands. 

    Kahanamoku died in 1968. Sadly, he never got to see surfing become an Olympic sport. That happened in 2021. Carissa Moore won a gold medal for Team USA. She was born and raised in Kahanamoku’s beloved Hawaii.

    Surely that would have made the Ambassador of Aloha proud. 

    In 1959, Hawaii became our 50th state. Kahanamoku was named the new state’s Ambassador of Aloha. (Aloha is a Hawaiian word. It has many meanings. Two are “love” and “welcome.”) He greeted famous people who visited the islands. 

    Kahanamoku died in 1968. Sadly, surfing had not yet become an Olympic sport. That happened in 2021. Carissa Moore won a gold medal for Team USA. She was born and raised in Kahanamoku’s beloved Hawaii.

    Surely, the Ambassador of Aloha would have been proud. 

    In 1959, Hawaii became our 50th state. Kahanamoku was named the new state’s Ambassador of Aloha. (Aloha is a Hawaiian word that has many meanings, including “love” and “welcome.”) He greeted celebrities and world leaders who visited the islands. 

    Kahanamoku died in 1968. Sadly, he never got to see surfing become an Olympic sport. That happened in 2021, when Carissa Moore won a gold medal for Team USA. She was born and raised in Kahanamoku’s beloved Hawaii.

    Her victory would surely have made the Ambassador of Aloha proud.