A major hurricane struck the islands of Hawai’i and Maui on August 9, 1871 and wrought widespread destruction from Hilo to Lahaina. A recent study by two scientists, a Hawaiian language expert, and an educator from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa (UH Manoa) revealed how historical Hawaiian-language newspapers expand knowledge of this and other natural disasters of the past. The storm of 1871 was known from ship logs and English newspaper accounts, but the Hawaiian-language newspapers added significant new information allowing the team to document the intensity and track of the storm for the first time.