On March 29, 1867, the United States purchases Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as "Seward's Folly," "Seward's icebox," and President Andrew Johnson's "polar bear garden."
Quote Of The Day
"Seward had fulfilled his dream of expanding the American empire, and the United States gained a valuable piece of territory with a wealth of natural resources that might also serve as a stepping-stone to Asia. For its part, Russia had divested itself of a possession that had become too expensive and too complicated to maintain. Both parties walked away from the treaty signed in the wee hours of March 30, 1867, with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction." Lee A. Farrow
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Alaska State Flag