Alaska
There was an island off the northern coast of the United States. People visited this island year round, but never knew the name of the land surrounded by water. On the island there were many different things that people didn’t know the names of. One day, there was a lady walking through the town telling people what the names of these foreign things were. She was the one with all the answers. People surrounded her to learn more about the island and about the things on the island. She answered all their questions, but the one my friend and I really wanted to know was left unanswered. What is the name of the island? We were sure that she knew, but no one had yet asked. We joined the crowd and stood in line to ask our question. Some strange guy asked me what’s the name of this island? I answered, “I don’t know, but she probably does (pointing to the woman)”. The man didn’t hear me, but he hear my friend say, “AL, ask her”. The man said, “Oh, Alaska, what a nice name for an island”. I turned to the strange man and tried to explain that my name was Alan and that I was going to ask the woman. It was too late; he already told a few people and the word began to spread quickly. The name Alaska spread all the way back to the woman with all the answers, and she said, “Oh, Alaska, that’s a good name”.
That’s how it all began – and that’s the history of the 50th state’s name.
