Tilt-a-Whirl

 

The narrowest distance between mainland Russia and mainland Alaska is approximately 55 miles. However, in the body of water between Alaska and Russia known as the Bering Strait, there are two small, rocky islands. In 1729, the first European to explore this area, Vitus Bering, landed here on August 16, the feast day of the martyr Saint Diomede. Bering named the islands Big Diomede and Little Diomede. Big Diomede is owned by Russia and Little Diomede belongs to the United States. The stretch of water between these two islands is only about two and a half miles wide and actually freezes over during the winter. So, you could technically walk from the U.S. to Russia on this seasonal sea ice. If you were to walk from one island to the other, you’d also be crossing the international date line. That’s why these two tiny islands are also known as Tomorrow Island (Big Diomede) and Yesterday Island (Little Diomede).