Nestled between mainland Alaska and Siberia in the cold waters of the Bering Strait are the Diomede Islands, a fascinating pair divided by only three miles but linked by an amazing chronological paradox. Because of their close closeness to the International Date Line, Big Diomede, located on the Russian side, and Little Diomede, located on the U.S. side, coexist in a unique dance with time.
The islands have amusing nicknames because of their peculiar geography: Yesterday Island for Little Diomede and Tomorrow Island for Big Diomede. Because of their alignment with the International Date Line and the complexities of regionally determined time zones (20 hours in summer), they are only 21 hours apart, despite being very near.
Former soldier Ramil Gumerov, who was stationed on Big Diomede, refers to the experience as a “real time machine” that lets people see what happened yesterday in real time. The islands provide an intriguing look at how the past and future coexist within a few miles of one another, although being divided by a geopolitical border. The islands, originally part of the same realm during the 17th century, became divided when Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. in 1867. The Eskimos, the native inhabitants, found themselves in an unusual predicament where they were living in the same time but different dates as a result of this separation. In order to make it easier for the Eskimos to visit other islands and stay in touch with their family despite their time apart, they were allowed the ability to travel without a visa.
Some people believe that a shaman cursed the island after the Eskimos fled Big Diomede, and that is why there have been unexplained deaths ever since. Gumerov considers the difficult living conditions on the island, which include nine months of winter, extremely low temperatures, and 300 days of dense fog that shroud Big Diomede in fog. The few helicopter flights that bring mail and supplies to the island just once every two to four months underline its remoteness.
During the Cold War, the boundary between Big and Little Diomede received the moniker “Ice Curtain.” But in 1987, U.S. long-distance swimmer Lynne Cox broke through the metaphorical Ice Curtain when she swam the two hours from Little Diomede to Big Diomede, despite the frigid seas. Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev both praised this brave deed, demonstrating the transcendence of personal connection over geopolitical barriers.
Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Island serve as a tribute to the interaction of time, boundaries, and the resilient spirit of people who live in these far-flung parts of the earth since they both still exist in their temporal duality.
