On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger explodes during take-off, killing shuttle commander Francis R. "Dick" Scobee (1939-1986) and six other astronauts. Billions of people around the world...
On January 6, 1986, a scheduled game between the Seattle SuperSonics and the Phoenix Suns in the Coliseum is cancelled on account of rain leaking through the arena roof, the first ever "rain out" for ...
On January 25, 1986, one of the most iconic symbols of Seattle, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer globe, takes up residence on top of the newspaper's new headquarters at 101 Elliott Avenue West. This is ...
On February 24, 1986, the King County Council passes Motion 6461 renaming King County to commemorate the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), the civil rights leader, rather than William Rufus...
On February 25, 1986, the Supreme Court of the United States hands down a decision affirming the right of local jurisdictions to regulate the location of adult-entertainment venues. The case is brough...
On March 13, 1986, Microsoft offers the first shares to the public. Share prices rise from $26 to $29 before closing at $27.25.
On April 28, 1986, the King County Council approves an $8.4-million-per-year Surface Water Management program. The program funds construction and maintenance of drainage and flood-control systems des...
On May 27, 1986, KIRO Television introduces a new feature on its 6:30 p.m. newscast: brief Point-Counterpoint exchanges between conservative organizer John Carlson (b. 1959) and left-wing writer Walt ...
On August 7, 1986, the U.S. Forest Service acts to protect the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) from decline and extinction by limiting timber sales in mature portions of National For...
On August 13, 1986, a $180,000 exhibit on the State of the Sound opens officially at the Seattle Aquarium. The aquarium believes the exhibit, which explores the health of Puget Sound, is the first in ...
On August 14, 1986, The Seattle Times reports that the cost of waterfront improvements planned by the administration of Mayor Charles Royer (b. 1939) is being boosted by plans for Seattle Aquarium exp...
On August 22, 1986, the Timber Fish Wildlife Agreement offers a new way to manage state forests by allowing all the stake holders -- tribes, loggers, environmentalists, government agencies -- to devel...
On September 16, 1986, voters in the Centralia School District approve creation of the Port of Centralia under a recently passed law that allows port districts to be created in regions within counties...
On September 21, 1986, farm workers in Central Washington, most of Latino heritage, found the United Farm Workers of Washington State. The purpose is to bring a collective voice to farm workers attemp...
On September 26, 1986, the first three Port of Chehalis commissioners (Bill Brooks, Ed Pemerl, and Bill Wiester) are sworn in. The new port district within Lewis County follows the same boundaries as ...
On October 17, 1986, Congress designates the Columbia River Gorge, which stretches 80 miles from the Deschutes River to the Sandy River, as a National Scenic Area. Some 277,000 acres of land on both s...
On October 21, 1986, State House candidate John Moyer (1922-2014) sparks a controversy by skipping a campaign debate to perform surgery on a pregnant patient. Republican Moyer is one of Spokane’s be...
On October 31, 1986, President Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) delivers a hotly debated statement about Hanford while campaigning in Spokane for Senator Slade Gorton (b. 1928). Republican Gorton is locked i...
On November 4, 1986, Democratic Congressman Brock Adams (1927-2004) wins election as U.S. Senator over incumbent Republican Slade Gorton (b. 1928). Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate from the R...
On December 31, 1986, the Western Gear Corporation closes after six decades in Washington and 25 years on the Everett waterfront. The following day, January 1, 1987, its property will be transferred t...
On December 31, 1986, the somewhat controversial New York City-based background music -- or “elevator music†-- company, Muzak, strikes a merger deal with a Seattle-based rival, YescoForeground Mu...
On February 25, 1987, at 10:07 a.m., a section of the Husky Stadium on the University of Washington campus, which is under construction, collapses. It is a 215-foot addition to the bleachers, which be...
On March 6, 1987, Metro Transit and its contractors begin boring a 1.3 mile tunnel through the heart of downtown Seattle. The controversial project's goal is to create a new downtown right-of-way for ...
On March 13, 1987, a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker crashes at Fairchild Air Force Base, Spokane County, while rehearsing maneuvers for an air show, killing six airmen and a spectator. The acciden...