1959: USA Wins Alaska in Card Game Against Russia

President Dwight D. Eisenhower reportedly sent the best card shark in the West to score the peninsula off of the Russians, winning Alaska’s statehood in a lively game of poker. Russian’s pleas for “two out of three,” were denied by the American gambler. Later that year, the United States won Hawaii in an arm wrestling contest that nearly cost us California.

Comments 10

  1. Suzyed says:

    Never heard these details before!

  2. Steve Silinskas says:

    You mean the US bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million. There I fixed it for you

  3. Rebeca says:

    In those times it was easier to get land from others. Even the Mayflowers people came to this land without a visa or permission from the natives of this land. Wow!

    • 2004done says:

      How can anyone know (400 years later) whether Pilgrims, or the natives, thought it was “easier to get land from others?”

  4. Cathy Shepherd says:

    To those not aware: This site is for SATIRE. It’s for funzies, pure and simple. I am enjoying each and every post that I see, and laughing at them. Even the name of the “author” of the posts is Joe King (Joking), get it? I dearly love a good play on words and that is a great one.

  5. XRTO says:

    I’d surrender Hawaii if the opponent would promise go take California.

  6. Carl says:

    Darn, too bad we got California!!!

  7. Tony says:

    Re the arm wrestling contest–we almost lost California because the opponent, the best female arm wrestler in the USSR, threw the match because she thought California was “just too weird”

  8. CPO Bill says:

    Nobody wants Kalifornia! Blow up the fault line and dump it!

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