Vue lecture

Why Russia Sold Alaska to the U.S.

The Trump-Putin summit will take place in a former Russian colony that the United States bought for $7.2 million in 1867. Here’s how the deal came together and why its legacy matters.

© National Archives and Records Administration

The $7.2 million U.S. Treasury check that sealed the American purchase of Alaska in 1867.
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He Survived the Khmer Rouge and Built a Musical Legacy

Kong Nay, a blind lute player who endured the horrors of a totalitarian regime, exposed a new generation of Cambodians to their country’s traditional music.

© Andy Eames/Associated Press

Kong Nay teaching the chapei dang veng, a long-necked lute, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 2003.
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