Here are 5 interesting facts about December 30 in Alaska history:

1. In 1958, Alaska Airlines Flight 133 crashed into the ocean near Sitka, killing all 34 people on board. The crash was caused by a faulty autopilot system and poor weather conditions.

2. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which runs over 900 miles from Anchorage to Nome, began on December 30, 1972. The race commemorates the 1925 serum run to Nome, in which mushers and their dogs carried life-saving serum to the city to stop a diphtheria epidemic.

3. In 2006, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 struck near Ketchikan, causing significant damage to buildings and infrastructure on the nearby islands of Prince of Wales and Kuiu.

4. On December 30, 1987, the Anchorage Daily News reported that the state of Alaska was in the midst of a recession, with thousands of jobs lost and the unemployment rate rising sharply.

5. In 2013, a record-breaking snowfall of over 18 feet was reported in Valdez, Alaska. The snowfall was caused by a series of intense winter storms that dumped heavy snow on the town over the course of several weeks.