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Diablo Dam incline railway climbing Sourdough Mountain, 1930. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, 2306.
Children waving to ferry, 1950. Courtesy Museum of History and Industry.
Loggers in the Northwest woods. Courtesy Washington State Digital Archives.

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This Week Then

3/14/2024

Longshoremen loading or unloading a ship.

News Then, History Now

On the Go

Lynden incorporated in Whatcom County on March 16, 1891, and four days later, Marysville incorporated in Snohomish County. Other cities celebrating birthdays this week are Ferndale, which incorporated on March 19, 1907, and Selah, which incorporated on March 17, 1919.

What a Show

On March 18, 1917, vaudeville aficionados laughed to the antics of a young Stan Laurel in a stage show at Seattle's Hippodrome. Exactly 10 years later, a new generation of entertainment junkies saw and heard their first "talkie" at the Blue Mouse, by which time Laurel, now paired with Oliver Hardy, had achieved worldwide fame.

Dancing? No!

On March 15, 1937, Governor Clarence Martin put his foot down on Washington's dance marathons, years after after cities like Tacoma and Bellingham had banned them. The craze had risen to popularity in the 1920s, but the Great Depression intensified the fad as a grueling endurance contest with partners dancing for weeks and even months on end.

Rock and Roll

On March 16, 1958Seattle Bandstand debuted on KING-TV and became an instant hit with Northwest teens. Modeled after Dick Clark's Philadelphia-based, nationally broadcast American Bandstand, the two-hour weekly program launched the careers of several local bands and led to the creation of similar shows on NBC affiliates in Yakima, Spokane, and Portland.

Taking a Soul

On March 16, 2003, an Israeli army bulldozer ran over Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old peace activist from Olympia. Corrie and seven other activists with the International Solidarity Movement had been protesting the destruction of a Palestinian home by the Israeli military. She died from her injuries.

Winning Goal

Two years after Seattle was officially granted an expansion franchise for Major League Soccer, the Seattle Sounders FC made their debut on March 19, 2009, and has since smashed league records for attendance. They are the only team to have won four U.S. Open Cups, capturing their first MLS cup in December 2016 and their second cup in 2019.

Today in
Washington History

New On HistoryLink

Image of the Week

Town Hall, Seattle

Twenty-five years ago this week, on March 17, 1999, Seattle's Town Hall debuted in the old Fourth Church of Christ Scientist building.

Quote of the Week

"A good resolve will make any port."

--Horace

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