In 1996, the Islamic Center of the Eastside is formed in Bellevue. It is considered too large a mosque at the time for the small number of worshippers, but by 2001 will expand to serve its large and g...
On May 9, 1996, the Washington State Supreme Court, in a 5 to 4 decision, denies the Seattle Landmarks Board its designation of the First United Methodist Church as a landmark. The church, occupied by...
On June 2, 1996, Seattle earns its first trip to the NBA (National Basketball Association) Finals since 1979 with a 90-86 victory over the Utah Jazz in Game 7 at KeyArena. Shawn Kemp paces the SuperSo...
On June 15, 1996, the first off-leash dog run area in a Seattle Park is opened in Magnuson Park at Sand Point. It is one of seven areas opened for dogs to run free over a year-long trial period. The o...
On July 1, 1996, the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Program opens Salishan Learning Center in Tacoma's east side. The center is part of an effort by WSU to bring the University's se...
On July 15, 1996, police evacuate a nine-block area around Westlake Center in downtown Seattle after a pickup truck containing a heart-shaped, red metal sculpture is abandoned in Westlake Park at 4th ...
On July 28, 1996, two young West Richland men are wading along the banks of the Columbia River near Kennewick when they step on something that looks like a big rock. When they pull it from the mud, th...
On August 1, 1996, the Port of Seattle passes Resolution 3212, adopting the Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport's Master Plan Update (MPU) and the Puget Sound Regional Council's (PSRC) Reso...
On August 10, 1996, the Washington State History Museum opens in a new $42 million building on Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. The museum will be one of the important features in the renaissance of downtown...
On September 6, 1996, ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) stages Cheap, the first show in its new $30.4 million complex, Kreielsheimer Place, in downtown Seattle. Seattle Times theater critic Misha Berson wr...
On September 17, 1996, King County voters defeat a $215 million bond proposal intended to fund habitat restoration, purchase lands for parks and open spaces, and create ballfields.
On October 9, 1996, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announces that American scientists Douglas Dean Osheroff (b. 1945), David N. Lee (b. 1931), and Robert C. Richardson (1937-2013) are co-winner...
On October 16, 1996, the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is dedicated in Richland. The high-tech laboratory is the fulfillment of a dream by longtime director of th...
On November 5, 1996, Washington voters choose Democrats Bill Clinton (b. 1946) for president and Gary Locke (b. 1950) for governor. Statewide ballot measures regarding school vouchers, charter schools...
On November 20, 1996, the Seattle School Board votes unanimously to end mandatory busing for the purpose of racial desegregation in elementary schools, beginning with the 1997-1998 school year. Two ye...
On November 27, 1996, William Scott Scurlock, dubbed "Hollywood" by the police and the "Hollywood Bandit" by the press because of his penchant for theatrical disguises, attempts to rob Seafirst Bank i...
On December 5, 1996, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad resumes regular train service across Stampede Pass. Service over the 78-mile line that connects Auburn with Cle Elum and Eastern Washingt...
On December 12, 1996, at 7 p.m., the It's About Time Writers Reading Series convenes at The Seattle Public Library, University Branch, for its 89th reading. Esther Altshul Helfgott (b. 1941) founded t...
On January 5, 1997, Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (b. 1936) is appointed to a vacated seat in the Washington State House of Representatives. A Democrat, she will represent the 46th District, which covers S...
On January 20, 1997, at the Seattle Center, Festál celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day in its inaugural event. Festál is a series of diverse community-based festivals that pr...
On January 22, 1997, the State Route 509 cable-stayed bridge over the Thea Foss Waterway opens to traffic. It is one of only 13 such bridges in the nation and is part of a $165.3 million project that ...
On Thursday, January 23, 1997, Tacoma's Blair Bridge, located on the tideflats near the waterfront, closes and demolition begins. This bascule drawbridge spanning the Blair Waterway, along with the Mu...
On April 8, 1997, the Tacoma City Council votes to build the Click! Network and offer cable television and telecommunications services using fiber-optic cable. The move places the City in competition ...
On April 13, 1997, the Henry Art Gallery, located in Seattle on the University of Washington campus, reopens and celebrates its major renovation and expansion. Thousands of donors have already attende...