159 years ago today
United States Purchases Alaska from Russia
On March 30, 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward concluded negotiations for the purchase of Alaska from Imperial Russia for $7.2 million — less than two cents per acre. Critics immediately ridiculed the deal as "Seward's Folly" and "Seward's Icebox," seeing no value in the remote, frozen territory. The acquisition became one of the most consequential real estate transactions in American history: Alaska proved to contain enormous reserves of gold, oil, natural gas, timber, and fish, and its strategic position in the Arctic and Pacific has been of immense military and economic importance. Alaska was admitted to the Union as the 49th state in 1959. The sale was also a turning point for Russia, which shed a distant and costly colonial possession to focus on European affairs.
Vincent van Gogh
Dutch Post-Impressionist painter
Vincent van Gogh produced over 2,100 artworks in just a decade of dedicated painting, including iconic works like "The Starry Night," "Sunflowers," and his many self-portraits. Though he sold only one painting during his lifetime, he is now among the most recognized, influential, and valuable painters in history. He died at 37 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Francisco Goya
Spanish painter and printmaker
Francisco Goya is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and a proto-Romantic visionary whose disturbing "Black Paintings" and war series "The Disasters of War" anticipated the darkest currents of modern art. He served as court painter to the Spanish royal family while also depicting war's cruelty with merciless honesty.
Eric Clapton
Guitarist and singer-songwriter
Eric Clapton is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in history, earning the nickname "Slowhand" for his blues-inflected virtuosity with bands including the Yardbirds, Cream, and Blind Faith before his solo career. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Celine Dion
Canadian singer
Celine Dion became one of the best-selling music artists in history, particularly in the French and English-speaking worlds. Her theme song for the 1997 film "Titanic," "My Heart Will Go On," became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Warren Beatty
Actor and filmmaker
Warren Beatty has been one of Hollywood's most enduring figures as both an actor and director, with films ranging from "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) to "Reds" (1981), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director.
Maimonides
Philosopher, rabbi, and physician
Moses Maimonides was the foremost medieval Jewish philosopher, physician, and legal authority whose "Guide for the Perplexed" attempted to reconcile Aristotelian philosophy with Jewish theology and whose legal code the Mishneh Torah remains a cornerstone of Jewish law.
Sicilian Vespers: Uprising Against French Rule
Sicilians rose up in a bloody revolt against the Angevin French occupiers, beginning with a massacre at Palermo during evening vespers prayers. The uprising drove the French from Sicily and changed the balance of power in the medieval Mediterranean.
First Surgical Operation Under Ether Anesthesia
American physician Crawford Long performed the first known surgical operation using ether as a general anesthetic, removing a tumor from a patient's neck without pain — a revolutionary moment in medical history that he did not publicly report until 1849.
Treaty of Paris Ends the Crimean War
The Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the Crimean War between Russia and an alliance of France, Britain, and the Ottoman Empire. The war had exposed catastrophic military mismanagement on all sides and galvanized reforms in nursing, logistics, and military organization.
Alaska Purchased from Russia for $7.2 Million
Secretary of State William Seward agreed to purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million — a deal mocked as "Seward's Folly" but which gave the United States control over vast natural resources and strategic territory.
Britain Pledges to Defend Poland
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain announced in Parliament that Britain would guarantee Poland's independence against any aggression — a direct warning to Hitler that an invasion of Poland would mean war with Britain, a promise that was invoked six months later.
Dalai Lama Flees Tibet for India
The 14th Dalai Lama crossed the border into India after fleeing Lhasa following the suppression of the Tibetan uprising, beginning an exile that continues to this day from the Indian hill station of Dharamsala.
President Reagan Shot Outside Washington Hotel
President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton hotel, in an assassination attempt that also wounded three others including Press Secretary James Brady. Reagan survived and returned to office weeks later.
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Dies
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother died at Royal Lodge, Windsor at age 101. Her steadfast presence during the Blitz and throughout her seven-decade public life made her one of the most beloved figures in modern British history.
SpaceX Achieves First Orbital Rocket Reflight
SpaceX launched a previously flown Falcon 9 rocket booster for the first time, demonstrating that orbital-class rockets could be reused — a breakthrough that has since dramatically reduced the cost of reaching orbit.
Donald Trump Indicted by Grand Jury
A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump on criminal charges related to hush money payments, making him the first former U.S. president to face criminal indictment in American history.
HistorIQly Chat
Ask the figures of history about this day
Dive deeper — ask questions, challenge assumptions, hear the story in their own words. Powered by AI, grounded in history.
Start a conversation →James Cagney
American actor
James Cagney, the electric Hollywood star who defined the gangster film genre with performances in "The Public Enemy" and "White Heat" and won an Academy Award for his musical performance in "Yankee Doodle Dandy," died at his farm in upstate New York at age 86.
Léon Blum
French Prime Minister
Léon Blum, the first Jewish and first Socialist Prime Minister of France, died at his home near Paris. His Popular Front government in 1936 introduced paid holidays and the 40-hour working week to France. He survived internment in Nazi concentration camps during the war.
Airey Neave
British MP and Margaret Thatcher's campaign manager
Airey Neave, the Conservative politician and close advisor to Margaret Thatcher, was killed when a car bomb planted by the Irish National Liberation Army exploded in the House of Commons car park — one of the most brazen assassinations in British parliamentary history.
The figures and events above are only the beginning. Dive deeper into history with HistorIQly's full collection.
Discover Your Day
What happened on your birthday?
Every date in history holds its own stories. Find the events, birthdays, and turning points that share your day.