It was on 3rd January 1959 that Alaska got admitted as the 49th state of the USA

Alaska is a territory of the USA today because Russia willingly sold this piece of land to the USA

This deal is known as the Alaska Purchase Treaty of 1867. The USA purchased Alaska for $7.2 million. Alaska is worth $37 billion today

Throughout the past few hundred years, Russians started their land expansion which led to Russia owning having Alaska

The climate of Alaska is harsh and cold, and it was even more difficult for people to live in such harsh conditions in the past

Only a few Russians settled in Alaska. Agriculture was difficult in the harsh climate, which repelled settlers from living in that place

This instigated the Russians to start going south to look for better opportunities. In 1812, the Russians built their first settlement in California, which is now known as Fort Ross

After the USA stabilized after the American Civil War, negotiations between Russia and the USA started proceeding for the Alaska treaty