Oct 18, 1867
The U.S. formally took possession of Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less than two cents an acre.
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Today is
Alaska Day
a legal holiday in the U.S.
State of Alaska
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We went to Alaska in November 2018 to see the Northern Lights (also called the aurora.) Every day we would get up around lunchtime, go shopping in the supermarket nearby, and drive around, waiting for nightfall. As soon as the Alaskan sun set down, we would drive up the winding snow roads into the mountains, park our SUV in the middle of nowhere, and hold our breath for the aurora to blink. My wife and I would huddle in the warmth of our car, with the engine humming almost soundlessly, listening to the FM radio where people called in to share their life stories or ask for advice on their problems and troubles. The first night, we weren’t lucky - no aurora was in sight, but we didn’t encounter any wolf or bear either, as some travel blogs warned.The second night, in the wee hours, amidst the deafening quietness not far from the Northeast point of planet earth, a Chinese poem popped up in my head - 念天地之悠悠，独怆然而涕下。On the third night, we set out a little late because I went to the gym (the only time I went for a workout at the hotel during our stay). When my wife rushed into the gym shouting, “Aurora, honey, hurry.” I was on the treadmill in my second mile. Before long, we were at our usual spot, and my camera caught something greenish and glimmering - we’d missed the best part because of my inopportune jogging. But we’d had one of the best moments together expecting one of the most beautiful spectacles in the world.
Oct 18, 1966
Elizabeth Arden, the Canadian-American businesswoman who founded Elizabeth Arden, Inc. and built a cosmetics empire in the United States, died at age 84.
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