A History of Short Words

From the New York Times Crossword Puzzle

SAMOA

Wed, 7 Aug '24
Island country that's 24 hours ahead of its closest neighbor
Wed, 13 Mar '24
American ___
Wed, 10 Jan '24
Island nation whose currency is the tala
Tue, 10 Oct '23
Apia's country
Sat, 6 May '23
Nation that moved east of the International Date Line in 1892 and west of it in 2011
Sun, 9 Apr '23
Its largest islands are Savai'i and Upolu
Mon, 6 Mar '23
Pago Pago's land
Sat, 11 Feb '23
Where "talofa" and "tofa" mean "hello" and "goodbye"
Mon, 19 Dec '22
Island nation in Polynesia
Tue, 2 Aug '22
"Survivor" locale in the South Pacific
Sun, 31 Jul '22
Coconut-covered cookie
Mon, 16 May '22
American ___ (U.S. Pacific territory)
Fri, 8 Apr '22
Where lavalava skirts are worn