25 Interesting Facts about Alaska

The town of Talkeetna in Alaska had a cat (Stubbs) as a mayor for 15 years.

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

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

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

5. 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.

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

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

9. 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.

10. 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).

12. The long summer days in Alaska regularly produce "Giant Vegetables" by August harvest, with produce such as 138lb cabbage and 3 feet long beans setting records at the Alaska State Fair.

13. Because of mainland Alaska's one time zone, northwest Alaska experiences two sunsets in one calendar day around August 8th.

14. The Adak National Forest in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, is the smallest National Forest in America, with only 33 trees.

15. In 2001, a drunken Alaskan gunman named Daniel Carson Lewis once shot a hole in the Alaskan oil pipeline. He had to pay for the $17 million cleanups and received 16 years in jail.

The 1964 earthquake in Alaska was so big that water sloshed in the wells in Africa. It had a magnitude of 9.2, making it the second-largest earthquake in recorded history.

17. The Aurora Ice Hotel in Alaska was made entirely of ice. Ice walls, ceiling, beds, bar, barstools, even martini glasses were made of ice. It was closed by the fire marshall for not having smoke detectors.

18. In Alaska, people report roadkill to authorities, who butcher it and give to the needy.

19. An ice worm thrives on the glaciers of Alaska and will actually melt if heated to 40°F.

20. In Fairbanks, Alaska it is illegal for a moose to enter a saloon (via the sidewalk). This law was created to try to stop a local tavern keeper from getting his pet moose drunk and prevent the moose's frequent drunken rampages.

There is a species of a frog in Alaska that freezes during the winter and while frozen, the frog stops breathing, its heart stops beating, its blood stops flowing, and it cannot move. However, when spring arrives, the frog’s body thaws and the frog returns to normal life.

22. In 2016, Anchorage, Alaska was so snow-starved that they actually had to import 7 train cars full of snow for the starting section of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

23. From 1787 through 1912, the US never went for more than 15 years without adding a state. Then 47 years passed before Alaska joined the union and the US is now in the longest period in US history without a state being added (54 years).

24. At their closest points, Alaska and Russia are only 2.5 miles apart.

25. There is a pizza place in Alaska that delivers pizzas to remote areas by plane, with no charge for delivery.