This week in history: US buys Alaska from Russia

Short on funds after losing the Crimean War, and fearing the British would annex Alaska by sending troops from Canada, Russia put it up for sale. In 1867, a deal was agreed for $7.2m.

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Signing of the Alaska Treaty of Cessation

In 1799, Tsar Paul I set up the Russian-American Company to promote Russia's interests in America. It established several colonies, but most important was the Alaskan port of Sitka, vital to the fur trade.

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