On this day in 1867, the U.S. formally takes possession of Alaska
after purchasing the territory from Russia for $7.2 million, or less
than two cents an acre. The Alaska purchase comprised 586,412
square miles, about twice the size of Texas, and was championed
by William Henry Seward, the secretary of state under the 17th
President of the United States Andrew Johnson.

William Henry Seward
(May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872)

Andrew Johnson
(December 29, 1808 – July 31, 1875)