Located 500 miles away from the nearest state, there’s likely a lot you haven’t heard about Alaska. Here are 25 facts about the last frontier.
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. Some of Alaska’s bizarre moose-specific legislation has included laws against pushing a moose from a plane, viewing a moose from a plane, and giving a moose beer. Haines, Alaska is home to America’s first museum solely dedicated to hammers. Visitors to the Hammeralso read: Amazing Facts: Fun facts about human’s favorite mount (Horse)
Museum can view their fascinating collections of hammer sculptures, handle-making machinery, and spring-loaded meat tenderizers. Alaska officially became the 49th state on January 3, 1959. 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. The term Alaska native refers to Alaska's original inhabitants including Aleut, Eskimo and Indian groups. The wild forget-me-not is the official state flower. The Territorial Legislature adopted it in 1917. The willow ptarmigan is the official state bird. The Territorial Legislature adopted it in 1955. The Sitka spruce is the official state tree. The Territorial Legislature adopted it in 1962. 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. Alaska has more coastline than the other 49 states combined. Because of their long summer days, Alaska is capable of producing some unusually oversized produce. Some notable specimens that have been harvested in recent years include a 35-pound broccoli, a 65-pound cantaloupe, and a 138-pound cabbage. In Barrow, Alaska, the longest night lasts for 67 days. In the summer they make up for it with 82 days of uninterrupted sunlight. If Manhattan had the same population density as Alaska, only 28 people would inhabit the island. There are 107 men for every 100 women in Alaska, the highest male-to-female ratio in the United States.also read: Amazing Facts: Interesting facts about parrots