President Donald Trump said he wants to acquire Greenland sooner rather than later, before Russia or China have the chance.
"We are going to do something on Greenland whether they like it or not," Trump said during a press availability on Jan. 9. "I would like to make a deal the easy way, but if we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way."
The president has long said he wants to acquire Greenland for U.S. national security, fearful of what would happen if China or Russia seized it first. Trump has raised the idea since his first presidential term.
But Trump's recent claims aren't the first time the United States has sought to acquire Greenland. The first major attempt was more than 150 years ago, around the same time Alaska was acquired from Russia in 1867.
Break out the textbooks. Here's a look at some of the major instances of the United States trying to control Greenland.
