On This Day

Last day of the Julian calendar in Alaska

The Alaska Purchase was the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire by the United States for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867 (equivalent to $132 million in 2024).

The Alaska Purchase was the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire by the United States for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867 (equivalent to $132 million in 2024). On May 15 of that year, the United States Senate ratified a bilateral treaty that had been signed on March 30, and American sovereignty became legally effective across the territory on October 18.

During the first half of the 19th century, Russia had established a colonial presence in parts of North America, but few Russians ever settled in Alaska. Alexander II of Russia, having faced a catastrophic defeat in the Crimean War, began exploring the possibility of selling the state's Alaskan possessions, which, in any future war, would be difficult to defend from the United Kingdom. To this end, William H. Seward, the U.S.

Historical Significance

The Alaska Purchase was the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire by the United States for a sum of $7.

Events Before

  1. US House of Representatives passes the 14th Amendment (Civil Rights)

    The Civil Rights Act of 1866 (14 Stat. 27, enacted April 9, 1866, reenacted 1870) was the first United States federal law to define citizenship and affirm that all citizens are equally protected by...

  2. First transatlantic telegraph cable comes ashore at Heart's Content, Newfoundland, after being laid out 1,686 miles by I

    First transatlantic telegraph cable comes ashore at Heart's Content, Newfoundland, after being laid out 1,686 miles by Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Great Eastern steamship

  3. Tsarevich Alexander of Russia (later Alexander III) marries Princess Dagmar of Denmark at the Grand Church of the Winter

    Tsarevich Alexander of Russia (later Alexander III) marries Princess Dagmar of Denmark at the Grand Church of the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg

  4. Fisk University opens in Nashville, Tennessee

    Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee, United States.

  5. Steamship London sinks in storm off Land's End, England and kills 220

    Steamship London sinks in storm off Land's End, England and kills 220

Events After

  1. US House of Representatives votes 126 to 47 to impeach President Andrew Johnson

    The impeachment of Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors" was initiated by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868.

  2. American religious leader Brigham Young weds his 53rd wife, American actress and future polygamy critic Anna Webb (24),

    American religious leader Brigham Young weds his 53rd wife, American actress and future polygamy critic Anna Webb (24), in Salt Lake City, Utah

  3. The Shogunate is abolished in Japan

    The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to the Paleolithic, around 38–39,000 years ago.

  4. Abyssinian War ends as British and Indian troops capture Magdala and Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II commits suicide

    Abyssinian War ends as British and Indian troops capture Magdala and Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II commits suicide

  5. US Senate fails to impeach President Andrew Johnson by one vote

    The impeachment of Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors" was initiated by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868.

More from the 1860s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on October 5, 1867?
The Alaska Purchase was the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire by the United States for a sum of $7.2 million in 1867 (equivalent to $132 million in 2024). On May 15 of that year, the United States Senate ratified a bilateral treaty that had been signed on March 30, and American sovereignty became legally effective across the territory on October 18. During the first half of the 19th century, Russia had established a colonial presence in parts of North America, but few Russians ever settled in Alaska.
Why is Last day of the Julian calendar in Alaska significant?
The Alaska Purchase was the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Empire by the United States for a sum of $7.

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