1. In 1916, the first airplane arrived in Fairbanks from Seattle, signaling a new era of transportation and commerce in Alaska.

2. In 1942, Japanese forces bombed Dutch Harbor on September 12, marking the only foreign attack on American soil during World War II.

3. In 1954, the earthquake that struck the Matanuska-Susitna Valley on September 12 remains one of the largest seismic events in Alaska's history, registering a magnitude of 7.2.

4. In 1960, Alaska was struck by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America, which occurred on March 27 but led to a devastating tsunami that hit the state on September 12.

5. In 2008, Senator Ted Stevens, Alaska's longest-serving senator, was convicted of corruption charges on September 12, ending a political career that spanned four decades.