Manuel Nunes (inventor)

Manuel Nunes, the inventor of the ukulele.

Manuel Nunes (born June 14, 1843 in Funchal , Madeira , Portugal ; † July 9, 1922 in Honolulu , then the Republic of Hawaii , now the USA ) was a Portuguese worker, cabinet maker, manufacturer and inventor. He is considered the official inventor of the ukulele musical instrument .

Manuel Nunes came to Hawaii from Madeira in 1879. The widower and father of nine children worked on various plantations for around five years before moving to Honolulu, where he first worked as a cabinet maker and later in a factory for machetes (small stringed instruments).

Together with two other Portuguese, he started manufacturing ukuleles in his own factory from 1889, which he had developed from the Portuguese machete or Braguinha . One partner died, the other became seriously ill, so that Nunes was left and he was now able to serve the ukulele market on his own. This is how the company " M. Nunes and Sons " came into being, which in 1910 received official confirmation from the Republic of Hawaii. King David Kalākaua , the last male ruler of the island state, had promoted Nunes as best he could to strengthen the national identity. From 1917 Nunes withdrew from the public, two of his sons were able to continue the production of real Nunes ukuleles until the late 1930s.

The instruments manufactured by Nunes were made from the finest Koa wood and today are primarily collector's items and some of them achieve high prices. Manuel Nunes died on July 9, 1922 in Honolulu and was buried there in Kings Street Cemetery.

Nunes created the Hawaiian national instrument, which later began its triumphant advance around the world.

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personal data
SURNAME	Nunes, Manuel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Portuguese worker, cabinet maker, manufacturer and inventor
DATE OF BIRTH	June 14, 1843
PLACE OF BIRTH	Funchal , Madeira , Portugal
DATE OF DEATH	July 9, 1922
Place of death	Honolulu , then the Kingdom of Hawaii , now the USA