Hawaii became the 50th and final state admitted to the United States before the America250 anniversary.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act on March 18, 1959. After voters approved statehood, Hawaii entered the Union on August 21, 1959. Its admission followed Alaska’s statehood earlier that year on January 3.
Hawaii is an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, located more than 2,000 miles from the continental United States. Its capital and largest city is Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. The state consists of eight main islands and many smaller islands, atolls, and islets.
A common mix-up is the order of the final two states: Alaska was the 49th state, while Hawaii was the 50th. Hawaii’s statehood was preceded by a long territorial period after the United States annexed the islands in 1898. The state’s admission completed the current 50-state Union.