1. In 1741, Russian explorer Vitus Bering and his crew landed on Kayak Island in what is now Alaska, marking the first recorded European contact with the region.
2. On October 12, 1915, Alaska's first hydroelectric dam went online in Ketchikan, providing the town with a reliable source of electricity and prompting other Alaskan communities to explore similar projects.
3. In 1943, the federal government imposed a ban on alcohol consumption in Alaska in an attempt to prevent drunkenness amongst soldiers stationed in the territory during World War II.
4. October 12, 1976 saw the dedication of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, which moved crude oil from Prudhoe Bay on the north shore of Alaska to the port of Valdez, covering a total distance of 800 miles.
5. Alaska Native leader and land-rights activist Elizabeth Peratrovich was born on October 12, 1911 in Petersburg, Alaska. Peratrovich played a key role in advocating for the 1945 Anti-Discrimination Act, which prohibited racial discrimination in the state of Alaska.