# What was the general opinion when Hawaii/Alaska were admitted into the union? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 8, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-general-opinion-when-hawaii-alaska-were-admitted-into-the-union/733887 "2015-10-08T00:45:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-general-opinion-when-hawaii-alaska-were-admitted-into-the-union/733887/41 "2015-10-09T20:36:47Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Similar here. > > I watched the original show and never managed to “get” that 5-0 was for the fiftieth state. To be fair, I was pretty young when it started, but still… > > At least it wasn’t named for McGarrett’s football jersey number. > > Useless fun fact: The original show is “5-O”, the letter, and the new show is “5-0” the number, which sort of renders the “50” meaning incorrect. I’m gonna need some proof that the 50, spelled anyway you like, has anything to do with Hawaii being the 50th state. It may be true, but I’ve seen and heard numerous discussion about Five-Oh referring to the police and it’s never come up in those before that I can recall, though it does have some poetic sense to it. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-general-opinion-when-hawaii-alaska-were-admitted-into-the-union/733887/42 "2015-10-09T20:41:22Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m gonna need some proof that the 50, spelled anyway you like, has anything to do with Hawaii being the 50th state. It may be true, but I’ve seen and heard numerous discussion about Five-Oh referring to the police and it’s never come up in those before that I can recall, though it does have some poetic sense to it. It’s not a great cite by any means but: > **[Urban Dictionary: Five O](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Five%20O)** > > An expression that is used to tell people that a police is around. \* n. Short for police officers. Originated from the TV show Hawaii 5-0 which was a copp show in the 1970’s. Hawaii is the 50th state, hence the nickname “5-0”\*. Then there’s > ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-general-opinion-when-hawaii-alaska-were-admitted-into-the-union/733887/43 "2015-10-09T20:42:11Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I’m gonna need some proof that the 50, spelled anyway you like, has anything to do with Hawaii being the 50th state. It may be true, but I’ve seen and heard numerous discussion about Five-Oh referring to the police and it’s never come up in those before that I can recall, though it does have some poetic sense to it. Wikipedia cites [this page](http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/fiveofaq.htm) as the source. It’s not clear where the page’s authors got the info, but they seem to have compiled a lot of it. > [@The Hawaii Five-O FAQ](#): > > Why was it called Five-O, anyway? > Hawaii was the fiftieth state in the union. (The original title was “The Man,” but producer Leonard Freeman changed his mind.) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-general-opinion-when-hawaii-alaska-were-admitted-into-the-union/733887/44 "2015-10-10T01:07:29Z")
I’m really surprised that so many never realized the 5-0 in \*Hawaii 5-0 \* referred to it being the 50th state. I watched the original when it came out, and I watched it in West Texas, and even in that godforsaken land it was common knowledge that was what the 5-0 meant. Hawaii was still a new state, just nine years old when the show debuted, and it was a big selling point pushed by the producers. > [@Philliam](#): > > When I was a kid I had a nice stack of ‘49th State’ records (all old varnish 78’s) as well as some Japanese Teichiku recordings of the same vintage. Wish I still had them (my folks probably tossed them when I was in the Navy, along with my 1930’s Erector set in its wooden crate). :smack: Pity. Those would be worth a pretty penny today. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-general-opinion-when-hawaii-alaska-were-admitted-into-the-union/733887/45 "2015-10-10T01:37:38Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It’s not a great cite by any means but: > [Urban Dictionary: Five O](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=five-o) > \* > n. Short for police officers. Originated from the TV show Hawaii 5-0 which was a copp show in the 1970’s. Hawaii is the 50th state, hence the nickname “5-0”\*. > > Then there’s > [meaning - What does "five O" mean (and why)? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange](http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/33406/what-does-five-o-mean-and-why) > [@Asimovian](#): > > Wikipedia cites [this page](http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/fiveofaq.htm) as the source. It’s not clear where the page’s authors got the info, but they seem to have compiled a lot of it. Seeing those, and now some other cites on-line, including a [2003 SDMB thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=188846), that seems to be it. I just never noticed that coming up before, and I guess the connection should have occurred to me before. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-general-opinion-when-hawaii-alaska-were-admitted-into-the-union/733887/46 "2015-10-10T03:11:49Z")
I just remember the drinking game. When you saw the wave… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-general-opinion-when-hawaii-alaska-were-admitted-into-the-union/733887.md?page=2)