1. In 1868, a treaty was signed between the United States and Russia, formally transferring Alaska to US control. This marked the end of Russian colonial rule in Alaska, which had lasted for nearly a century.

2. In 1915, Mount Katmai, located on the Alaska Peninsula, erupted in one of the largest volcanic explosions of the 20th century. The eruption released 30 times more ash than the famous Krakatoa eruption of 1883, and left a 2-mile-wide, 1,200-foot-deep crater at the summit.

3. In 1943, the Japanese submarine I-31 fired a torpedo at the US Navy cargo ship USS Crescent City off the coast of Alaska. The attack was unsuccessful, and the Crescent City was able to limp back to port for repairs.

4. In 1981, the Alaska State Legislature designated the forget-me-not as the official state flower. The forget-me-not grows wild throughout Alaska and is traditionally associated with the state's history and culture.

5. In 2008, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were entitled to the same rights and protections as opposite-sex couples under the state's constitution. The ruling paved the way for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Alaska in 2014.