Hawaii was officially admitted as a State of the Union on August 21, 1959. The anniversary is celebrated today, Friday, August 17, which is a State Holiday. That means that County and State offices will be closed.
Hawaii is one of four states that were independent prior to becoming part of the United States, along with the Vermont Republic, the Republic of Texas, and the California Republic. The Kingdom of Hawaii was sovereign from 1810 until 1893 when the monarchy was overthrown, illegally. It was annexed as a territory of the United States in 1898.
