This Day in History

In Alaska, in the Nation and the World

In Alaska

• In 1974, a fast-moving storm with 70 mph winds battered Nome, flooding streets, destroying homes, and leaving smaller communities without adequate food and water.

• In 1980, Pavlof Volcano, an 8,905-foot peak near Cold Bay, was described as "erupting like a blowtorch" by a Reeve-Aleutian Airways pilot.

In the nation

• In 1620, 41 Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed a compact calling for a "body politick."

• In 1889, Washington became the 42nd state.