The correct answer is Alaska
Critics scoffed at "Seward's madness". That was what they called the Alaskan purchase, associating it with then Secretary of State William Seward, who had done the deal.
Time ended up giving Seward a reason: an acquisition showed one of the most profitable businesses in history.
The Alaskan purchase added more than 1.5 million square kilometers to the United States. Thus, if we analyze only the price of the square kilometer today in that state, it is estimated that the territory is worth 150 times more than Washington paid for it.
But Alaska is much more than a piece of icy land. It is also a huge deposit of natural resources: less than 20 years after the deal was closed, a race for gold started in the region.
