Today in History

January 03, 1959
The Last Frontier
Alaska becomes the 49th state admitted to the Union, increasing the size of the nation by almost 20 percent. Known as American's last frontier, Alaska is the largest peninsula in the Western hemisphere. U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward purchased it in 1867 from Russia for about 2 cents an acre. At the time, the deal became known as "Seward's Folly" because the region's geography and climate made it difficult to explore or settle.












 



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