In the spring of 1972, Sagemoor manager John Pringle begins planting 280 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling vines on two of Sagemoor's vineyards, Sagemoor and Bacchus, situated...
At about 12:51 p.m. on April 5, 1972, a severe (category F3) tornado strikes the eastern part of Vancouver, Washington. The tornado demolishes the Peter Skene Ogden Elementary School, then sweeps thr...
On Sunday May 14, 1972, a major reunion of first-generation Pacific Northwest rockers is showcased at Seattle’s grand Paramount Theatre (911 Pine Street). Billed as the Northwest Ro...
On May 31, 1972, retired Fire Chief Gordon Vickery (1920-1996) becomes superintendent of Seattle City Light. Vickery takes over a utility that is a "patronage-laden caste system of uncivil servants" (...
The King County Youth Services Center (YSC), which houses the county's Juvenile Detention Center, Juvenile Court, and Juvenile Court Services, dedicates its first library on June 11, 1972. The library...
On July 1, 1972, Group Health Cooperative's Olympia Medical Center opens. This comes about less a result of Group Health planning than a combination of circumstances and a few savvy organizers in Thur...
On July 3, 1972, the Seattle City Council votes to site the new Seattle Aquarium at piers 60 and 61 in the central waterfront. The vote is 5-4. Neighboring Pier 59 later becomes the actual site.
On July 4, 1972, an errant skyrocket veers off course during a Fourth of July fireworks show at the Seattle Center. The five-inch shell lands in a large crowd just north of the International Fountain ...
On the sunny Friday afternoon of July 21, 1972, the Mayor's Arts Festival '72 presents a performance by a zany local theatrical collective called the One Reel Vaudeville Show. The festival itself had ...
On September 2, 1972, Washington State University's cooperative extension agents unveil a Master Gardener Program at Tacoma Mall and seed an international urban-horticulture institution. The program w...
On September 2, 1972, the final section of the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) opens, completing a project nearly 80 years in the making. The road was originally begun in the 1890s with plans ...
On September 6, 1972 -- the first day of the new school year -- the Seattle School District implements a mandatory busing plan to achieve racial balance in selected middle schools.