1. Alaska Was Purchased on July 1, 1867: On July 1, 1867, the Alaskan territory was officially purchased from Russia by the United States in what is known as the Alaska Purchase. This purchase doubled the size of the United States and eventually led to the establishment of the 49th state of the U.S. in 1959.

2. The First Alaska State Legislature Convened on July 1, 1913: In 1912, the U.S. Congress passed the Organic Act, which established the Alaska Territory and gave it limited self-governance. A year later, on July 1, 1913, the first elected Alaska State Legislature convened in Juneau, which at the time was the territory's capital.

3. The First Alaska Highway Was Opened on July 1, 1942: During World War II, the United States needed a way to quickly transport supplies from the lower 48 states to Alaska in case of a Japanese invasion. In just eight months, the U.S. Army built a 1,500-mile (2,400 km) highway through northern Canada and Alaska, which was completed on July 1, 1942.

4. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Settlement Was Announced on July 1, 1991: On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker hit a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, causing one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history. It took more than a decade of legal battles, but on July 1, 1991, the U.S. and Exxon reached a settlement worth $1 billion to compensate for the environmental and economic damages caused by the spill.

5. The First Same-Sex Marriages Were Performed in Alaska on July 1, 2014: On October 12, 2014, same-sex marriage became legal in Alaska after a federal court ruling. However, on July 1, 2014, several same-sex couples were able to get married early thanks to an early ruling by a judge in Anchorage. These marriages were later recognized by the state after the full legalization of same-sex marriage in Alaska.