1. In 1912, a massive snowstorm hit Nome, Alaska, causing severe damage to the town and burying the streets under several feet of snow.

2. On January 28, 1960, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Storis became the first American surface vessel to traverse the Northwest Passage through the Canadian Arctic.

3. The Alaska Native Brotherhood, the oldest and largest Native organization in Alaska, was founded on January 28, 1912, in Sitka, Alaska.

4. On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff, killing all seven crew members, including Alaska's first astronaut, Christa McAuliffe.

5. In 1898, a group of gold prospectors discovered gold in the Klondike region of Canada, sparking the Alaska Gold Rush, which brought thousands of people to Alaska in search of gold.