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The United States seized control of the Danish West Indies by transferring $25 m
Featured Event 1917 Event

March 31

US Buys the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 Million

The United States seized control of the Danish West Indies by transferring $25 million to Copenhagen and immediately rebranded the archipelago as the U.S. Virgin Islands. This transaction secured a strategic naval foothold in the Caribbean that proved vital for American defense throughout both World Wars.

March 31, 1917

109 years ago

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