OCTOBER 17, 1979 - Mother Teresa (1910-1997), the famous Roman Catholic nun, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace." In true Mother Teresa style she refused the conventional ceremonial banquet given to laureates, and asked that the $192,000 award be given to the poor in India, stating that earthly rewards were important only if they helped her help the world's needy. Despite some critics who questioned her beliefs on suffering and the quality of care offered by her organization, Mother Teresa's name has become synonymous with charitable work. She was voted the most widely admired person of the 20th Century in a 1999 Gallup poll.

OCTOBER 18, 1867 - The Territory of Alaska was formally transferred from Russia to the United States. The territory had been purchased on March 30th of that same year by Secretary of State William H. Seward for a mere $7.2 million. With approximately 424,491,520 acres in Alaska the price was less than 2 cents per acre. Still many in Congress and the press believed the territory was useless and ridiculed the purchase as "Seward's folly." The subsequent discoveries of gold and oil, in addition to a wealth of other natural resources, have proven Alaska to be one of the most valuable U.S. territories. The official transfer of the territory occurred at 3:00 p.m. local time. Soldiers from each nation gathered at Fort Sitka. They fired a salute and lowered the Russian flag. The flag of the Untied States was then hoisted and raised and another salute was fired. October 18th was declared an Alaskan state holiday in 1917 and is celebrated as Alaska Day.