23 Chilly Facts About Alaska You Won’t Expect

There is a mile-long zipline in Hoonah, Alaska, that starts 1,300 feet above sea level and reaches speeds of up to 60mph.

In 1958, Alaska was hit with a mega-tsunami that measured 1720 feet tall, taller than the Empire State Building.

Until 1986, you didn't even need to buy property in Alaska. You could build a house and it would have been yours.

Glacial retreats in southern Alaska are leading to an increase in the frequency of earthquakes. The Bering glacier, in particular, is so massive that its weight stabilizes the subduction of the Pacific plate underneath the North American plate.

There was a man so dedicated to April Fools Pranks that in 1974, he flew hundreds of tires into Edgecumbe dormant volcano in Alaska and set them on fire, thereby fooling the local populace, and coast guard into thinking the volcano became active.

The world's largest rechargeable battery is in Fairbanks, Alaska, weighs 1,400 tons and cost $35 million to build.

Alaska and Hawaii are tied as the US State with the lowest high temperature, at 100°F.

Balto, the famous dog from the 1920s who helped save countless lives by delivering precious antitoxin from Anchorage to Nome is stuffed and mounted in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

The Alaskan state flag was designed by a thirteen-year-old (Benny benson) who had won a contest.

In the United States, Alaska is the state that is farthest north, east, and west (due to the fact that the Aleutian Islands cross the 180° meridian of longitude).