“I can see Russia from my house,” became an iconic joke from the lips of Tina Fey, that mocked former VP candidate Sarah Palin’s ignorance, but U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward was also derided at the time for the purchase of Alaska.
Britannica:
“…in 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward struck a deal with a Russian envoy: The United States would purchase Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million.
“The press called it Pres. Andrew Johnson’s “polar bear garden” and “Seward’s icebox.” After all, Russia had been trying to unload the territory since before the Civil War.”
Seward was mocked until Alaska struck gold. The Klondike Gold Rush totaled roughly $50 million dollars which made the purchase a steal.
Alaska became the 49th U.S. state on January 3, 1959.
Open thread.