Outsiders first discovered Alaska in 1741 when Danish explorer Vitus Jonassen Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.

Russian whalers and fur traders on Kodiak Island established the first settlement in Alaska in 1784.

In 1867 United States Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents per acre, for Alaska.

On October 18, 1867 Alaska officially became the property of the United States. Many Americans called the purchase "Seward's Folly."

Joe Juneau's 1880 discovery of gold ushered in the gold rush era.

In 1943 Japan invaded the Aleutian Islands, which started the One Thousand Mile War, the first battle fought on American soil since the Civil War.

Alaska's most important revenue source is the oil and natural gas industry.

Alaska accounts for 25% of the oil produced in the United States.

The state of Rhode Island could fit into Alaska 425 times.

Prudhoe Bay, on the northern Alaskan coast, is North America's largest oil field.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on its 800 mile journey to Valdez.

The fishing and seafood industry is the state's largest private industry employer.

Most of America's salmon, crab, halibut, and herring come from Alaska.

Dog mushing is the official state sport. The Alaska Legislature adopted it in 1972.

An unnamed draftsman created the state seal in 1910. It consists of a rising sun shining on forests, lake, fishing and shipping boats, and agricultural and mining activities.

In 1926 13-year-old Bennie Benson from Cognac, Alaska designed the state flag.

Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.

The Alaska Highway was originally built as a military supply road during World War II.

The state boasts the lowest population density in the nation.

The state's coastline extends over 6,600 miles.

Alaska is the United State's largest state and is over twice the size of Texas. Measuring from north to south the state is approximately 1,400 miles long and measuring from east to west it is 2,700 miles wide.

Oil is the state's most valuable natural resource. The area includes what is thought to be the largest oil field in North America.

In 1986 Mount Augustine erupted near Anchorage.

The Tongass National Forest is the largest national forest in the United States.

17 of the 20 highest peaks in the United States are located in Alaska.

Juneau is the only capital city in the United States accessible only by boat or plane.

The Alaska Range is the largest mountain chain in the state. It covers from the Alaska Peninsula to the Yukon Territory.

In 1915 the record high temperature in Alaska was 100 degrees Fahrenheit at Fort Yukon; the record low temperature was -80 degrees Fahrenheit at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.