View of the harbour in Sitka, Alaska, United States
© Blaine Harrington III/Alam
Sitka shines on Alaska Day
In honour of Alaska Day, which is a legal holiday in the United States - we're in the harbour of Sitka, Alaska, the former capital of Russian America in the early 19th century, when it was called Novo-Arkhangelsk. It was here on this day in 1867 that officials of the Russian Empire formally transferred the Territory of Alaska to the United States in a sale for $7.2 million, or just around 2 cents per acre (that's just about one rupee!). It seems an astonishingly small price today, but at the time, opponents called it 'Seward's Folly' after then-Secretary of State William H. Seward, who negotiated the deal. Few Americans moved to the 'Last Frontier' at first, but in the 1890s, when gold was discovered in the Yukon and Alaska, a rush of prospectors and others began a wave of settlers in the territory. Ever since, Alaska, with its vast natural resources and staggering beauty, has been a prized American domain and an enduring symbol of American wilderness.
Related Images
View from the cupola of the International Space Station above the South Pacific Ocean
Blue hour in Naxos, Cyclades, Greece
Aerial view of Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
Porto, Portugal
Lake Bled, Slovenia
Golden Temple at dusk, Amritsar
The Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, Germany
Aerial view of the Grand Canal and the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, Venice, Italy
Today on Bing
Autumn in Central Park, Manhattan, New York, USA
