The Sandwich Islands

Hawaii was formerly known as the Sandwich Islands, a name given to them by the famous Captain James Cook in honor of the Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty, on discovery of the Islands in 1778. The islands were annexed by the United States August 12, 1896 and formally constituted as the Territory of Hawaii on June 14th, 1900. Statehood was granted in August 1959, when Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States of America.