Vitus Bering (1681-1741) is a Danish explorer engaged in the Russian Navy as a captain. In 1728, he sailed north until he discovered the land: the Bering Strait to which he gave his name. It proves that Europe and America are separated by water. He explores the Alaskan coast and explores the Arctic Ocean. Thereafter, he would undertake further expeditions to the north.
Discovery of Alaska and the Bering Strait
In 1941, the second expedition to the Kamchatka (or "great Nordic expedition") discovered Alaska as well as the Bering Strait, which separates America from Asia in the northern Pacific Ocean. Led by naval officer Vitus Bering, the expedition began in 1933 and was completed ten years later. It required the participation of 3,000 men and nearly 1.5 million rubles, the sixth of the total budget of the investing country, Russia.
Chelikhov founds the first Russian colony in America
On September 22, 1784, the explorer Grigory Ivanovich Chelikhov established the first permanent Russian colony on the American continent. It is based on Kodiak Island in Alaska, specifically at the bottom of Trois-Saints Bay, near the contemporary village of Old Harbor. This colony later migrated in 1792 to the present site of the city of Kodiak, which will evolve into a large center of trade and fur trade for all of Russia.
George Vancouver joined the Royal Navy at the age of 14 and sail with Cook until 1779. He was appointed lieutenant on his return to Great Britain and had to organize an expedition to map the American coasts. It explores the land on the Pacific side, from British Columbia to Alaska. He returned from this journey in 1795 and spent the rest of his life writing the account of his expedition. The city of Vancouver and the island pay tribute to the sailor.
Alaska becomes a territory of the United States
Alaska is the most extensive state in the United States. Originally, it belongs to Russia which yields in 1867 for seven million dollars. The province is called the Department of Alaska and placed under the responsibility of the army. In 1884, it was described as the District of Alaska. It was not until August 24, 1912, that she obtained the status of territory of the United States. It was not until 1959 that it became the 49th state of the United States.
First action by Greenpeace
Environmental activists embark in Vancouver on the Phyllis Cormack to visit the US nuclear test site in Alaska. Naming their movement "do not make vague", their action reflects as much a commitment for the protection of nature as against nuclear weapons. The strategy developed is to move closer to risk to prevent the ongoing operation. This practice quickly became the signature of an organization that took the name Greenpeace, "Green Peace", as early as 1971.