30 March in History

The Day Alaska Was a “Bad Idea”

In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William Seward signed a deal with Russia to buy Alaska for $7.2 million. At the time, people absolutely roasted him for it. They called it “Seward’s Folly” and “Andrew Johnson’s Polar Bear Garden.” They thought he’d spent a fortune (about two cents an acre) on a giant, useless block of ice.

Of course, history got the last laugh when gold and oil were discovered. It turns out that “folly” was one of the greatest real estate steals in human history.

Art, Soul, and a Touch of “Hammer Time”

The birthdays today are a wild mix of genius and pure pop culture:

• Vincent van Gogh (1853): The man who gave us The Starry Night was born today. It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that he only sold one painting in his lifetime, yet today his work is priceless.
• Eric Clapton (1945): “Slowhand” himself enters the world, destined to redefine the electric guitar.
• MC Hammer (1962): Whether you miss the parachute pants or not, you can’t deny that March 30 gave us one of the most infectious eras of the 90s.
• Celine Dion (1968): The powerhouse voice behind the Titanic soundtrack. Love it or hate it, that song is a literal force of nature.

A Moment of Gravity

On a much more somber note, today marks the anniversary of the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. He was shot outside the Washington Hilton by John Hinckley Jr. It was a terrifying moment that froze the world in place, but Reagan’s recovery—and his humor in the hospital (famously telling the surgeons, “I hope you’re all Republicans”)—became a defining part of his legacy.

Quick Hits from the Archives

• 1842: Anesthesia was used for the very first time in a surgery. Before this, “surgery” was basically a nightmare you stayed awake for. We owe Dr. Crawford Long a massive thank you.
• 1939: Batman makes his first-ever appearance in Detective Comics #27. Gotham was never the same.
• 2002: The UK mourned the passing of the Queen Mother, who died peacefully in her sleep at the incredible age of 101.