2015 Event U.S. President Barack Obama restores the Native American name of Alaska's Mount McKinley, the tallest North American peak; the mountain will revert to its former name of Denali 2015 Event Health care and personal security records of 11 million customers have been stolen from Premera Blue Cross; the health care insurer operates mainly in the U.S. states of Washington and Alaska, but customers in other states may also be affected 2014 Event The U.S. Congress will as for $4.5 billion for additional missile defense spending over the next five years; the funds would partially pay for new radar in Alaska, indicating safety concerns regarding missiles from Iran and North Korea 2013 Event Anchorage, Alaska begins the 1,000 mile, 2013 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race; winners receive a new truck and $50,400 in prize money 2011 Event Researchers in Fairbanks, Alaska, discover remains of a 3-year old child from the Ice Age and named it Xaasaa Cheege Ts'eniin, 'Upper Sun River Mouth Child' 2010 Event An area in Alaska, twice the size of the United Kingdom, is protected by the U.S. Government; the area is considered a critical habitat for polar bears 2010 Event Alaska's State Senator Lisa Murkowski becomes the first write-in candidate to successfully win an election since 1954 2006 Event Alaska's Augustine volcano erupts 2000 Event Alaska Airlines flight 261 crashes off coast of southern California, killing 88, crash caused by a bad stabilizer 1989 Event Worst U.S. oil spill, Exxon's Valdez spills 11.3 mil gallons off Alaska 1987 Event Daniel Buettner, Bret Anderson, Martin Engel and Anne Knabe complete cycling journey of 15,266 mi from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Argentina 1986 Event Daniel Buettner, Bret Anderson, Martin Engel and Anne Knabe begin cycling journey of 15,266 miles from Prudhoe Bay Alaska to Argentina 1985 Event Les Anderson, catches record 97 lb 4 oz Chinook Salmon, off Alaska 1982 Event 38.6 cm (15.2") of rainfall, Angoon Alaska (state record) 1981 Birthday Vincent Kartheiser, actor, Hairy Bird, Alaska, Untamed Heart 1980 Birthday Stacey Storey, Eagle River Alaska, Miss America-Alaska 1996 1979 Birthday Sydne Vogel, born in Anchorage, Alaska, figure skater, 1996 NW Pac Sr champ 1979 Birthday Brandee Dawn McCoskey, Miss Alaska Teen USA 1996 1978 Birthday Laurie Miller, Miss Alaska Teen USA 1997 1977 Event 1st oil through the TransAlaska Pipeline System reach Valdez, Alaska 1977 Event Trans Alaska oil pipeline completed 1975 Birthday Christine Buschur, Eagle River, Alaska, Miss America-Alaska 1997 1975 Birthday Joshua Morrow. Juneau, born in Alaska, actor, Nicholas Newman-Young and Restless 1972 Birthday Janelle Lynn Canady, Miss Alaska USA 1996 1971 Event Alaskan 727 crashes into Chilkoot Mountain, kills 109 (Alaska) 1971 Event -80 degrees F (-62 degrees C) in Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska (U.S. record) 1970 Birthday Nina Kemppel, Anchorage Alaska, cross country skier 1994 Olympics 1970 Birthday Tommy Moe, Anchorage Alaska, nordic skiier, Olympic-gold/silver-1994 1967 Birthday Ed[ward] Grose, born in Juneau, Alaska, rower 1996 Olympics 1966 Birthday Holly Ann Salo, born in Keani, Alaska, Miss Alaska-America, 1991 1965 Birthday Connie Ann Hearn, Anchorage Alaska, actress, New Kind of Family 1964 Event 9.2 earthquake shakes Prince William Sound, Alaska 1964 Event Earthquake strikes Alaska, 8.4 on Richter scale, 118 die 1963 Event 2 Russian reconnaissance flights over Alaska 1962 Birthday Janet Patricia Gardner, born in Juneau, Alaska, rocker, Vixen-Rev It Up 1959 Event America's new 49-star flag honoring Alaska statehood unfurled 1959 Event Alaska admitted as 49th U.S. state 1958 Event Giant splash caused by fall of 90 million tons of rock and ice into Lituya Bay, Alaska washes 1,800 feet up the mountain 1957 Event 8.1 earthquake shakes Andreanof Islands, Alaska 1953 Event KTVA TV channel 11 in Anchorage (CBS) becomes Alaska's 1st TV station 1953 Event 86 degrees F in Anchorage Alaska 1952 Birthday George Meegen, England, walked 19,019 miles from Argentina to Alaska 1942 Event Alaska highway completed 1942 Event Construction of the Alaska Highway began 1938 Event 8.3 earthquake shakes East of Shumagin Islands, Alaska 1936 Event Mary Joyce ends a 1,000 mile trip by dog in Alaska 1935 Death Wiley Post, aviation pioneer, killed in plane crash in Alaska at 36 1935 Death Will Rogers, humoprist, killed in plane crash in Alaska at 55 1925 Event Glacier Bay National Monument established in Alaska 1923 Event Harding becomes 1st sitting president to visit Alaska (Metlakahtla) 1922 Event 1st woman FBI "special investigator" appointed (Alaska Davidson) 1919 Birthday Wally Hickel, bron in Ellinwood, Kansas, Alaska Governor 1966 - 1969, Republican, U.S. Secretary of Interior, 1969 - 1971 1918 Event Canadian steamship "Princess Sophia" hit a reef off Alaska, 398 die 1915 Event 100 degrees F (38 degrees C), Fort Yukon Alaska (state record) 1912 Event Territory of Alaska organizes 1912 Event Cone of Mount Katmai (Alaska) collapses 1910 Event Highest mountain in North America, Alaska's Mount McKinley climbed 1908 Event New York to Paris auto race (via Alaska and Siberia) begins in New York City George Schuster wins after 88 days behind the wheel 1903 Event U.S. wins disputed boundary between District of Alaska and Canada 1901 Event SS Islander hits iceberg near Alaska and sinks killing 70 1900 Event 8.3 earthquake shakes Cape Yakataga, Alaska 1899 Event 2nd quake in 7 days (8.6) hits Yakutat Bay Alaska 1899 Event 8.3 earthquake shakes Yakutat Bay, Alaska 1898 Birthday Wiley Post, Grand Plain, Texas, aviator/parachutist, crashed in Alaska 1884 Event Alaska becomes a U.S. territory 1871 Birthday Russell W. Porter, Vermont, explorer, Alaska 1867 Event U.S. takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia 1867 Event Alaska adopts Gregorian calendar, crosses International date line 1867 Event Last day of Julian calendar in Alaska 1867 Event President Andrew Johnson announces purchase of Alaska 1867 Event U.S. buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 1801 Birthday William Henry Seward, Secretary of State, 1861 - 1869, buys Alaska at 2 cents per acre 1791 Event Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering discovers Alaska 1778 Event Captain Cook anchors at Alaska 1741 Event Alaska discovered by Danish explorer Vitus Bering 1741 Event Captain Bering discovers Mount St. Elias, Alaska
