1. On January 3, 1778, Captain James Cook sailed into Kealakekua Bay on the island of Hawaii, marking the first documented European contact with the Hawaiian Islands.

2. January 3, 1893, marked the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy when a group of American and European businessmen and sugar planters, supported by the United States government, illegally overthrew Queen Liliuokalani.

3. On January 3, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the proclamation admitting Hawaii to the Union as the 50th state, making it the only island state in the US.

4. In 1997, on January 3, Hawaiian Airlines became the first airline in the United States to ban smoking on all flights.

5. On January 3, 2018, Hawaii became the first state in the United States to enact legislation to implement the goals of the Paris climate agreement, after President Trump withdrew the country from the agreement. The state's goal is to reach 100% renewable energy by 2045.