The ukulele is the magical instrument at the heart of the Hawaiian song.

The story goes that on this day in 1879, Joao Fernandes arrived in Honolulu from Portugal. To celebrate, he stepped off the ship and began to strum a small, guitar-like instrument called the braguinha. The Hawaiian bystanders were delighted by the joyful sounds of the four-stringed wonder.

Fernandes inspired three others—Augusto Dias, Manuel Nunes, and Jose de Espirito Santo—to begin making the instrument. Nunes refined its shape and swapped the metal strings for catgut, helping give birth to the ukulele.

“Almost immediately,” said journalist Will Hoover, “the ukulele (pronounced oo-koo-lay-lay) became a symbol of Hawaii’s musical aloha and playfulness.” Hawaiian for “jumping flea,” Queen Liliuokalani interpreted the name more poetically: uku meant “gift,” and lele meant “to come.” A gift that came here from Portugal.

King Kalakaua embraced the uke during his reign from 1874 to 1891, and the instrument became forever linked to the joy and soul of the islands. “One ukulele and one soul can do a lot,” said Hawaiian musician Kindy Sproat.

The ukulele’s worldwide appeal spread. Legends like Arthur Godfrey, Tiny Tim, and George Harrison found inspiration in its strum. Harrison, who lived in Hana, Maui, once told Tom Petty, “It gave me so much joy. The rest of my life was ukulele. I played the hell out of the thing.”