July 15

During the 1741 Great Northern Expedition, Russian navigator Aleksei Chirikov sighted land on the coast of Southeast Alaska on July 15. He dispatched a small party ashore from his longboat, who collected samples and erected a marker to claim the territory for Russia. Although Chirikov himself was unable to land, his crew's brief visit marked the first European presence on Alaskan soil. The discovery opened the way for further Russian exploration and fur trade in the North Pacific. Chirikov's reports provided valuable cartographic information and contributed to European knowledge of the region's geography.

Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike set out with a small U.S. Army detachment on July 15, 1806. Departing from Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis, Missouri, the Pike Expedition aimed to map the southwestern frontier and assert American presence. The party navigated challenging rivers and prairies, encountering Native American tribes along the way. Although Pike did not reach the peak that would later bear his name, he recorded valuable geographic, botanical, and meteorological observations. His journals and maps expanded knowledge of the region and influenced subsequent explorations. Pike's journey laid groundwork for U.S. expansion and scientific study of the western territories.