Did you know...
... that today is Alaska Day? On this day in 1867, the U.S. formally took possession of Alaska after purchasing the
territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents
an acre. The Alaska purchase comprised 586,412 square miles,
about twice the size of Texas, and was championed by William
Henry Seward, the enthusiastically expansionist secretary of state under President. Happy birthday, Alaska!