On August 21, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation, and a new star was sewn onto the American flag, the 50th and final one. Hawaii, a chain of volcanic islands floating 2,400 miles out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, had officially become a U.S. state. Across Honolulu, church bells rang, sirens blared, and people poured into the streets honking horns and dancing.
Hawaii had a long journey to statehood. It started as an independent island kingdom ruled by chiefs and later by a royal family, including the much-loved Queen Liliuokalani, who wrote the famous song 'Aloha 'Oe.' In 1893 American businessmen overthrew the queen, and a few years later Hawaii became a U.S. territory. After World War II, Hawaiians voted overwhelmingly in favor of becoming a full state, and Congress finally agreed. Alaska had joined the Union just months before; Hawaii made the country complete.
Today Hawaii is the only U.S. state that's an island, the only one entirely outside North America, and the only one where the official state language includes Hawaiian. It's home to active volcanoes that are still growing the islands, the world's biggest telescope perched on Mauna Kea, surf champions, hula dancers, and shave ice on every corner. When kids learn the 50 states in school, Hawaii is always the last one on the list, and every star on the American flag includes one bright spot for the islands in the middle of the sea.
