1. On January 9, 1964, a devastating earthquake measuring 9.2 on the Richter scale struck Alaska. It remains the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America.

2. The community of Eklutna, Alaska, celebrates a traditional Russian Orthodox holiday on January 9 known as the Great Blessing of the Waters. The event involves a priest blessing the water of a nearby river or lake and participants jumping in to retrieve a cross. It marks the baptism of Jesus and the beginning of the Christian liturgical year.

3. On January 9, 1902, the first territorial legislature of Alaska passed the Alaska Game Law, creating the first game commission in the region. The law aimed to protect wildlife, fisheries, and game birds from depletion and establish conservation practices.

4. In 1982, the small town of King Cove declared January 9 as Ruth M. Patten Day in honor of the first women's dog sled race champion. Ruth Patten, a native of the town, won the Women's International Sled Dog Championship in 1977 and again in 1980.

5. January 9, 1927, marked the first official dog sled mail delivery from Seward to Nome, Alaska, covering a distance of 674 miles. Led by the legendary dog musher Leonhard Seppala, the trip took 20 days and helped establish the use of dog sleds for transportation and communication in remote parts of Alaska.