Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state in 1959.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Hawaii Admission Act, and Hawaii entered the Union on August 21, 1959. The admission followed a referendum in which Hawaii voters approved statehood by a large majority.
Alaska became the 49th state earlier in the same year, on January 3, 1959. Hawaii’s admission completed the current 50-state arrangement, although the United States continued to administer territories and other jurisdictions outside the state system.
Hawaii is an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean. Its history includes Native Hawaiian political traditions, the Kingdom of Hawaii, annexation by the United States in 1898, territorial status beginning in 1900, and statehood in 1959. Honolulu is the state capital and largest city.