Alaska joined the Union as the 49th U.S. state on January 3, 1959. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act in 1958, authorizing the territory’s admission.
The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867 for $7.2 million. The deal was negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward and was initially mocked by some critics as “Seward’s Folly,” although the territory later proved to contain valuable natural resources.
Alaska’s statehood made it the largest U.S. state by area. It is separated from the contiguous United States by Canada and includes thousands of islands, glaciers, mountains, and long stretches of Arctic coastline.
Hawaii became the 50th state later in 1959, on August 21. The two admissions changed the U.S. flag from 48 stars to 49 and then to 50, with the 50-star design becoming official on July 4, 1960.