On April 1, 1989, Seattle's KING-TV reports that the Space Needle has collapsed. It is, of course, a prank, courtesy of the comedy show Almost Live! But the prank goes awry when many fall for it, in s...
On the evening of Saturday April 29, 1989, Seattle's upstart hip-hop label, Nastymix Records, throws an over-the-top soiree at the swank and historic Four Seasons Olympic Hotel (411 University Street)...
On May 1, 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed Methow Valley ski resort is adequate. This decision, concerning a project planned for Sandy Butte, a...
On May 7, 1989, the Washington State Senate approves Senate Bill 6152 authorizing creation of a state Department of Health. Three days later, on May 10, a conforming version is approved in the House o...
On May 16, 1989, Initiative 31, the Citizens' Alternative Plan (CAP), which sets growth limits on downtown Seattle, wins at the polls. The initiative establishes density and height limits on new const...
On May 23, 1989, the Port of Seattle and Puget Sound Council of Governments (reorganized as the Puget Sound Regional Council in 1991) sign an Interagency Agreement to launch the "Flight Plan" study of...
On June 16, 1989, an anti-busing group called Save Our Schools launches a campaign to end the use of mandatory busing for desegregation in the Seattle School District, by placing a local initiative (I...
On June 17, 1989, director Steven Spielberg, along with stars Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman and the rest of the crew for Always begin filming at the Ephrata Municipal Airport. They ...
On June 30, 1989, San Juan Islanders and visitors flock to the first performance in the San Juan Community Theatre. It is the culmination of a years-long, grassroots undertaking to provide a properly ...
On July 21, 1989, tribal canoes participating in the Paddle to Seattle arrive at the city's Golden Gardens Park. Seventeen tribes from around Puget Sound and the Washington coast have restored or buil...
On July 28, 1989, Seattle City Council member Norman B. Rice (b. 1943) files as a candidate for mayor of Seattle in the last 20 minutes of the last day on which he can register for the position. The a...
On August 1, 1989, a monument to three nineteenth-century Japanese sailors, believed to be the first Japanese to arrive in what is now Washington state, is dedicated at the Fort Vancouver National His...
On August 4, 1989, Governor Booth Gardner (1936-2013) and 26 Washington tribes sign the Centennial Accord. The accord affirms the sovereignty of Washington's federally recognized tribes and calls for ...
On September 30, 1989, residents of the small community of Grays River in southwest Washington hold a rededication ceremony to celebrate the rehabilitation of the oldest covered bridge in the state th...
On October 12, 1989, University of Washington Professor Hans G. Dehmelt (1922-2017) and Wolfgang Paul (1913-1993) of Bonn University are named recipients of the Nobel Prize for Physics for their work ...
On October 19, 1989, the Jolly Roger restaurant, located at 8721 Lake City Way (formerly Bothell Way) burns in an arson fire. Originally named the China Castle, the building in its early years was hom...
On October 24, 1989, The Seattle Times reports a typo in the November 1989 Voters' Pamphlet that causes a ballot measure for King County Parks to ask for $60 million more than intended.
On November 7, 1989, King County voters approve Proposition 2, a $117.6 million bond issue to buy, protect or develop more than 3,000 acres of open space, 185 miles of trails, and 250 acres of park la...
On November 7, 1989, Norman B. Rice (b. 1943), a 10-year member of the Seattle City Council, defeats Seattle City Attorney Doug Jewett in a hotly contested campaign for mayor. Rice becomes the city's ...
The total population of Washington state in 1990 is 4,866,692, an increase of 734,339 (17.77 percent) from the 1980 count of 4,132,353. Statistics from the 1990 federal census reveal that Washington c...
On January 18, 1990, State Senator Jim West (1951-2006) of Spokane proposes an AIDS education measure that includes a provision making all sexual contact illegal for anybody unmarried under 18. West s...
On February 28, 1990, the city of Federal Way in south King County officially incorporates. Residents and officials of the new city mark the occasion with a celebration at a bowling alley. Federal Way...
On February 28, 1990, the City of SeaTac, located in King County, officially incorporates. Approximately 24,000 people reside in the new municipality, which will be run by a city council and a city m...
On April 1, 1990, the last day of a special legislative session, the state House and Senate give final approval to Washington's Growth Management Act (GMA). The law, which Governor Booth Gardner (193...