sandwich, a piece of meat or other food placed between two slices of bread. Although food in this form has long been used, the term sandwich originated in the 18th cent. It is named for John Montagu, the 4th earl of Sandwich, an inveterate gambler who ate informally at the gaming table rather than stopping for the set meal.

South Sandwich Islands: see South Georgia.

Sandwich, John Montagu, 4th earl of, 1718-92, British politician. He served variously as secretary of state (1763-65, 1770-71) and first lord of the admiralty (1748-51, 1763, 1771-82). He earned (1763) great unpopularity for his charges of obscenity against John Wilkes, because not only had he been Wilkes's friend but he was himself notoriously dissolute. His reputation has suffered chiefly, however, and somewhat unjustly, because he presided at the admiralty over the British defeats of the American Revolution. In fact, he was an able, if corrupt, administrator, and his naval policy was apparently sound. He was shackled, however, by the stringent economies of Lord North and unable to expand the navy as needed. The Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands were named after him by Capt. James Cook. The sandwich was also named after him; he supposedly ate food in that form rather than leave the gaming table.

Sandwich, Edward Montagu, 1st earl of, 1625-72, English admiral. He fought in the parliamentary army during the civil war, became (1653) a member of the council of state of the Commonwealth, and was appointed (1656) general at sea. After the collapse of the Protectorate, however, he assisted in the Restoration (1660) of Charles II and escorted the king home from Holland. Created (1660) earl of Sandwich and admiral of the narrow seas, he negotiated (1661) the marriage between Charles and Catherine of Braganza, secured English possession of Tangier as part of her dowry, and brought Catherine to England. He fought with distinction at the battle of Lowestoft (1665) in the second Dutch War and was killed in the battle of Southwold Bay in the third war. Samuel Pepys, his cousin's son, was his secretary at the admiralty.

Sandwich Islands: see Hawaii.

Sandwich, Ont., Canada, part (since 1935) of the city of Windsor.

Sandwich, town (1991 pop. 4,184), Kent, SE England, on the Stour River. It is a resort and market center with some light industries. One of the Cinque Ports in the 11th cent., Sandwich flourished in the Middle Ages and became a center for fishing and trade. Silting in the 16th cent. ruined the harbor. Interesting medieval churches and buildings remain.

National preserve, southeastern shore of Hawaii island, U.S. Established in 1916, it occupies an area of 358 sq mi (927 sq km) and includes the active volcanoes Mauna Loa and Kilauea, 25 mi (40 km) apart. Other highlights are Kau Desert, an area of lava formations near Kilauea, and a tree-fern forest that receives nearly 100 in. (2,500 mm) of annual rainfall.

Learn more about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park with a free trial on Britannica.com.

formerly Sandwich Islands

State (pop., 2006 est.: 1,285,498), U.S., comprising a group of islands in the central Pacific Ocean that covers 6,461 sq mi (16,734 sq km). Its capital, Honolulu, lies 2,397 mi (3,857 km) west of San Francisco. The state's major islands are, from west to east, Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii; there are 124 islets. The state's active volcanoes include Mauna Loa and Kilauea. The majority of the state's residents live on Oahu. The original Hawaiians were of Polynesian origin and came from the Marquesas Islands circa 300 CE. Capt. James Cook visited the islands in 1778 and called them the Sandwich Islands. At the beginning of the 19th century, Kamehameha I united the group under his rule. American whalers began to stop there; they were followed in 1820 by New England missionaries, and Western influences changed the islands. While Kamehameha III in 1851 placed Hawaii under U.S. protection, a coup fomented by U.S. sugar interests resulted in the monarchy's overthrow and the establishment of a Republic of Hawaii (1893). In 1898 the new republic and the U.S. agreed on annexation, and in 1900 Hawaii became a U.S. territory. The bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941 led to U.S. involvement in World War II, and Hawaii became a major naval station. Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state on Aug. 21, 1959. Its largest industry is tourism. It is also a world astronomy centre, with telescopes atop Mauna Kea.

Learn more about Hawaii with a free trial on Britannica.com.