1. In 1964, a massive earthquake shook Alaska with a magnitude of 9.2. Known as the Great Alaska Earthquake, it is the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America.

2. In 1918, a deadly flu epidemic arrived in Alaska, killing many residents of remote native villages.

3. In 1931, Alaska's first commercial airline, Star Air Service, began regular flights between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Today, the airline is known as Alaska Airlines and serves destinations throughout the state.

4. In 1981, Alaska's state fish, the king salmon, was designated as the official state fish.

5. In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service released a collection of stamps featuring Alaska's iconic state symbols, including the grizzly bear, the state flower forget-me-not, and the state bird, the tundra swan.