History

413 Stories

MOHAI exhibit celebrates the rebellious history of Seattle's motorcycle culture

Western Washington is home to sweeping, scenic drives and twisting mountain roads. It’s a motorcyclist's wonderland. A new exhibit at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood explores the rich history of freedom, rebellion, and risk from the saddle of a moto.
- Casey Martin
Seattle Mariners' historic season ends in a dramatic Game 7 loss

The Seattle Mariner's historic 2025 season officially has come to an end.
- Vaughan Jones
Remembering Quintard Taylor: Historian of the Black West and beyond

Dr. Quintard Taylor taught history at the University of Washington and created BlackPast.org, an online collection of global Black history. He died Sept. 21, 2025, at the age of 76.
- Angela King
This colorful mystery of Ancient Egypt was just solved in Washington state

Scientists at Washington State University not only discovered how to recreate the color known as "Egyptian Blue," they also found this ancient pigment has potential modern uses that its inventors may not have realized.
- Natalie Akane Newcomb
What the eruption of Mount St. Helens reveals about kite-flying spiders

May 18, 2025, marks the 45th anniversary of Mount St. Helens' eruption — a catastrophic event that transformed the landscape and killed 57 people. From this devastation emerged an incredible scientific calculation about millions of spiders traveling through the sky.
- Brandi Fullwood
Seattle’s 135-year-old ‘irrational’ love affair with Bartell Drugs draws to a sad close

We learned recently that all of the remaining Bartell Drugs stores will close this year unless Rite Aid finds a buyer. KUOW’s Kim Malcolm reached out to local historian Feliks Banel to mark the sad final chapter of a remarkable business story. They talked about what led to the moment in 1890 when 22-year-old pharmacist George H. Bartell Sr. bought a drug store in Seattle, and what happened next.
- John O'Brien
How do the Los Angeles fires compare to the Great Seattle Fire? We mapped it out

The Palisades and Eaton fires have burned over 37,830 acres as of Tuesday afternoon. That’s a burn area 300 times larger than that of the Great Seattle Fire of 1889.
- Teo Popescu
Seattle's historic Georgetown Steam Plant still burns for the arts

The Georgetown Steam Plant used to generate power for Seattle's trolley system. Now, it's serving as a source of inspiration for arts organizations.
- Joshua McNichols
Long-time Seattle DJ reflects on 40 years of 'Purple Rain' and his friendship with Prince

How does one collect 100,000 albums? If you're Kevin Cole, you spend 50 years in radio, and a lot of your childhood in the local record store.
- Angela King
Why did WSU just name its newest crop 'Bush wheat'?
- Anna King

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