On October 4, 2004, Linda Buck (b. 1947), of Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, is named a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology. Buck shares the award with Richard Ax...
On October 12, 2004, the Seattle Storm wins the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) championship, becoming only the third professional sports team in the city's history to earn a national t...
On October 25, 2004, the King County Council approves three controversial ordinances, known collectively as the Critical Areas Ordinance or CAO, that limit rural development, in an effort to protect t...
On November 2, 2004, Washington voters produce the closest governor's race in United States history as they split virtually evenly between Democratic Attorney General Christine Gregoire (b. 1947) and ...
On December 10, 2004, a special state historical court clears Nisqually Chief Leschi (1808-1858) of murder charges. Chief Leschi was hanged in 1858 for allegedly murdering Col. A. Benton Moses. At the...
On December 13, 2004, the Allen Institute for Brain Science launches its Allen Brain Atlas, an online resource available to the public. The first batch of released data maps the location of nearly 2,0...
On December 21, 2004, Washington Secretary of Transportation Doug MacDonald and Governor Gary Locke announce that the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is ending construction of a ...
On December 29, 2004, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians' new Emerald Queen Casino opens in Fife in northern Pierce County, following reduction in road access to the original paddlewheel riverboat casino l...
On January 1, 2005, the Snohomish County Fire District takes over the operation and management of the Mountlake Terrace Fire Department, formally ending the existence of a fire department that was nea...
On January 15, 2005, the bipartisan King County Districting Committee adopts a map of nine districts for the Metropolitan King County Council to replace the existing 13-district map. The redistrictin...
On January 28, 2005, the Port of Tacoma's new $210 million Pierce County Terminal on the Blair Waterway opens officially to wide acclaim. The 171-acre container terminal is the largest in the Port's 8...
On January 29, 2005, the new Greenwood Branch, The Seattle Public Library, opens at 8016 Greenwood Avenue N. This is the 13th project opened as part of Libraries For All, a $196.4 million bond issue ...
On March 26, 2005, the Rat City Rollergirls, Seattle's pioneering female roller derby league, stages its first official bout. The scene is Southgate Roller Rink in White City. The crowd is unexpectedl...
On April 16, 2005, the Fremont Branch, The Seattle Public Library, reopens after a $749,267 renovation. It is the 14th project completed as part of Libraries For All, a $196.4 million bond issue pass...
On April 19, 2005, King County is officially renamed in honor of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) when Governor Christine Gregoire (b. 1947) signs into law Senate Bill 5332. The sig...
On April 24, 2005, hours before the State Legislature adjourns for the year, a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives approves a 16-year, $8.5 billion transportation revenue package, the ...
On May 14, 2005, the Lao Highland Community Center, a project of the Lao Highland Association, opens in southeast Seattle near the Othello Playground. The community center, located at 3925 S Bozeman S...
On May 14, 2005, the new Ballard Branch, The Seattle Public Library, opens at 5614 22nd Avenue NW. The library's sloping roof has 17 solar panels at its peak and is covered with low-water-use native ...
In May 2005, the Cascade Land Conservancy (later renamed Forterra) outlines the Cascade Agenda, a 100-year conservation plan to protect 1.3 million acres of forest, farms, and other Puget Sound land. ...
On June 6, 2005, Chelan County Superior Court Judge John E. Bridges concludes the closest and most contested governor's race in state history by rejecting numerous Republican challenges and upholding ...
Beginning on June 7, 2005, archaeologists from Eastern Washington University unearth Native American artifacts from People's Park in Spokane, and their discoveries reveal the site as the oldest contin...
On June 11, 2005, the new $735,000 International District/Chinatown Branch, The Seattle Public Library, opens at 713 8th Avenue S. The branch is situated in the International District Village Square I...
On June 25, 2005, at 1 p.m., past and present library staff, city officials, and residents gather at the Bothell Library to celebrate 100 years of library service to the community. Fifty-nine of those...
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...