On June 30, 2005, sailing vessels from around the world enter Commencement Bay in a Parade of Sail that kicks off Tacoma's first Tall Ships Festival. For the next five days, 29 tall ships, highlighted...
On July 16, 2005, Virginia Mason Medical Center opens its expanded Center for Hyperbaric Medicine on Seattle's First Hill. Featuring two large pressure vessels capable of accommodating up to 16 seated...
On Wednesday afternoon, July 20, 2005, federal agents conduct a drug raid at a stash-house on the U.S.-Canadian Border, north of Lynden, Washington, arresting three men for conspiracy to smuggle marij...
On July 20, 2005, James Doohan dies from pneumonia and complications from Alzheimer's disease at his home in Redmond. Doohan is best known for portraying Engineer Montgomery Scott in the original Star...
On July 30, 2005, the Tri-Cities Fever wins the National Indoor Football League championship in its first year of existence. Tri-Cities overcame early season difficulties and personnel changes to beat...
On August 1, 2005, the Seattle City Council approves renaming a two-block stretch of street in honor of the Fremont Troll sculpture that graces its north end. Mayor Greg Nickels (b. 1955) says that th...
Between August 5 and August 19, 2005, a wildfire burns nearly 52,000 acres of terrain in central Columbia and Garfield counties in the Blue Mountains. More than 100 homes and another 100 outbuildings ...
On August 13, 2005, Ebey Waterfront Park in Marysville opens. The 5.4-acre park and boat ramp caps 60 years of talk among Marysville citizens to build a site on Ebey Slough that will provide easy acc...
On August 17, 2005, Sound Transit installs the first rails for the Central Link light rail line. The line will run from SODO (south of downtown Seattle) to Tukwila and then to the airport. It is sched...
At noon on Friday, September 2, 2005, in what has become an annual tradition since their creation in 2003, the Mayor's Arts Awards are presented by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels (b. 1955) as part of Bumb...
On September 11, 2005, the childhood home of the rock star Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) is moved from Seattle's Central Area to Renton. The move ends a four-year struggle over the house between the City o...
On the weekend of September 16-18, 2005, Spokane celebrates the opening of the reconstructed Monroe Street Bridge, which spans the dramatic Spokane River gorge. The new bridge faithfully replicates th...
On September 20, 2005, four members of the Metropolitan King County Council square off in two contested primaries, one Republican and one Democratic, to decide who will be eliminated from the council....
From October 14 through 17, 2005, the Tri-Cities celebrates the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark had explored the area 200 years before, in 1805. Peop...
On October 22, 2005, the Lake City Branch, The Seattle Public Library, reopens after a $3,883,201 expansion project. Located at 12501 28th Avenue NE, it is the 17th project completed as part of "Libra...
On November 8, 2005, Washington voters overwhelmingly approve a sweeping ban on smoking indoors (and near doorways), and authorize performance audits of government agencies. Two initiatives proposing ...
On December 1, 2005, thanks to the combined efforts of volunteers, Snohomish County staff, and County officials, the county dedicates a lasting memorial for people affected by AIDS and HIV. The date, ...
On December 6, 2005, Spokane voters recall Mayor Jim West (1951-2006) from office by a margin of 65 percent to 35 percent in a special single-question election. Ten days later, the election will be ce...
On December 8, 2005, a new anti-smoking law goes into effect in Washington state, banning smoking in all public places and work areas and requiring people who light up to stay at least 25 feet away fr...
On December 16, 2005, the Future of Flight Aviation Center at Paine Field in Mukilteo opens its doors to the public. With an official ribbon-cutting ceremony and speeches by Governor Christine Gregoir...
On December 22, 2005, Weyerhaeuser Company's large-log sawmill in Aberdeen closes after 81 years of operation. Eighty-three employees, some of them third-generation sawmill workers, lose their jobs. A...
On January 24, 2006, two murder suspects attempt to flee into Canada at the Peace Arch Crossing in Blaine. The suspects, wanted in a murder case in Richmond, California, flee northbound on Interstat...
On January 31, 2006, Governor Christine Gregoire (b. 1947) signs a law that adds "sexual orientation" to existing prohibitions on discrimination in employment, housing, lending, and insurance. The sig...
On February 5, 2006, the Seattle Seahawks play in Super Bowl XL (No. 40), marking their first appearance in the National Football League’s championship game. They face the Pittsburg...