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Seven fun facts about the ukulele

The ukulele, a small four-stringed instrument of Portuguese origin, was patented in Hawaii in 1917, deriving its name from the Hawaiian word for “leaping flea.” Immigrants from the island of Madeira first brought to Hawaii a pair of Portuguese instruments in the late 1870s from which the ukuleles eventually developed. Trace back to the origins of the ukulele, follow its evolution and path to present-day popularity, and explore interesting facts about this instrument with Oxford Reference.

1. Developed from a four-string Madeiran instrument and built from Hawaiian koa wood, ukuleles were popular among the Hawaiian royalty in the late 19th century.

2. 1893’s World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago saw the first major performance of Hawaiian music with ukulele on the mainland.

3. By 1916, Hawaiian music became a national craze, and the ukulele was incorporated into popular American culture soon afterwards.

4. Singin’ In The Rain vocalist Cliff Edwards was also known as Ukulele Ike, and was one of the best known ukulele players during the height of the instrument’s popularity in the United States.

Cliff Edwards playing ukulele with phonograph, 1947. Photography from the William P. Gottlieb Collection. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Cliff Edwards playing ukulele with phonograph, 1947. Photography from the William P. Gottlieb Collection. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

5. When its sales reached millions in the 1920s, the ukulele became an icon of the decade in the United States.

6. Ernest Ka’ai wrote the earliest known ukulele method in The Ukulele, A Hawaiian Guitar and How to Play It, 1906.

7. The highest paid entertainer and top box office attraction in Britain during the 1930s and 40s, George Fromby, popularized the ukulele in the United Kingdom.

Headline image credit: Ukuleles. Photo by Ian Ransley. CC BY 2.0 via design-dog Flickr.

Recent Comments

  1. Tim Hodge

    Was the original tuning the same as it is today (GCEA), or was it different?
    And to add a bit more trivia for Ukulele Ike, Cliff Edwards was also known as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Disney’s “Pinocchio”.

  2. […] 5. “When its sales reached millions in the 1920s, the ukulele became an icon of the decade in the United States.” Source  […]

  3. Scarlett

    It’s great. Thanks!!!

  4. Scarlett

    These will help my music assessment. Thanks!!!

  5. Barton Alberts

    Kumalae was registered in 1915 in Hawaii.Now they are made in China.nothing wrong with that the Chinese are quality controled by the manufacturer of guitars ukes banjos and many other stringed instruments.The point of my story is that I found a Kumalae a couple of years ago in a music store and it was made in Polynesia.I paid 280 dollars for it. I just thought I was lucky to have a uke not made in China

  6. R Fogg

    This will help me with my report!

  7. Kabir

    Hello SARAH RAHMAN,
    “Seven fun facts about the ukulele” is really an informative post. I have known new information from the post. Cordially thanks to helping me to know the ukulele.

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