1. In 1902, the Alaska Engineering Commission was established by the US Congress to oversee the construction of Alaska's first railroad. The railroad was built to transport coal from the mines in the Matanuska Valley to the port of Seward.

2. In 1913, the first legal liquor sale took place in Fairbanks, Alaska. Prior to this, alcohol had been illegal in the territory since the 1880s.

3. In 1944, the US Army established Fort Greely in the interior of Alaska as a base for the defense of the state during World War II. Today, it is home to the Ballistic Missile Defense System.

4. In 1966, a magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck the Prince William Sound region, causing massive damage and triggering a tsunami that devastated the village of Chenega.

5. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, when the oil tanker ran aground and spilled over 11 million gallons of crude oil into the pristine waters. It remains one of the worst oil spills in US history and had devastating impacts on the local environment and communities.