On July 1, 1971, members of the International Longshoremen and Warehousemen's Union (ILWU) vote to strike West Coast ports in a contract dispute. This is the first time in 23 years that all 56 ports o...
On July 25, 1971, a brake failure on the red train of Seattle's Monorail leads to a crash against a steel girder at the end of the track at the Seattle Center. Twenty-six people are injured.
On July 27, 1971, a King County grand jury indicts 28 police officers and political leaders for involvement in a police payoff system. The central indictment charges 19 men, including the former King ...
On July 31, 1971, the Boeing-built Lunar Rover Vehicle is deployed for the first time, one day after the Apollo 15 lands on the moon. The four-wheeled electric cart, which could accelerate to nearly 9...
On August 3, 1971, Seattle City Light increases electric rates for the first time since 1920. Seattle consumers still pay less than a penny per kilowatt-hour for their electricity, much less than the ...
At noon on August 13, 1971, the Mayor's Arts Festival '71 -- to be redubbed Bumbershoot: The Seattle Arts Festival in 1973 -- commences with opening ceremonies at the Plaza of the States on the Seattl...
On September 20, 1971, two Washington State Patrol troopers submit a report to patrol Captain E. C. Armstrong recounting the five days they have spent working undercover at the Satsop River Fair and T...
On September 20, 1971, John Singer (later Faygele benMiriam, 1944-2000) and Paul Barwick (b. 1947) walk into the King County auditor's office and demand a marriage license. Their request is denied, an...
On October 1, 1971, pioneer financier Joshua Green (1869-1975) presides at the opening of Teachers State Bank in Seattle. As The Seattle Times reports, the "oldest banker in state opens its youngest b...
On October 21, 1971, Governor Daniel Evans (1925-2024) convenes the Washington State Women's Council. Its mission is "To consider appropriate questions pertaining to the rights and needs of women in c...
On November 2, 1971, Seattle voters approve Initiative No. 1, which establishes a seven-acre historic district "to preserve, improve, and restore the Pike Place [Market] ... prohibiting alterations, d...
On November 2, 1971, the Fred Redmon Memorial Bridge (Selah Creek Bridge) opens on Interstate 82 just north of Yakima. At the time the twin-arch bridge is the longest concrete arch bridge in North Ame...