Take a journey with us through the Seattle's history with a look at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's historic front pages.
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Here's the first edition of The Seattle Gazette, which is considered the debut issue of what was to become The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Dec. 10, 1863. Stories of the front page included a poem about friendship in old age, Civil War news and a harrowing story from Naples, Italy, in which a mason was kidnapped to carve a hole out of a wall, where a young woman was forced into a coffin that was then inserted into the hole and walled off by the mason.
University of Washington archives
News about the Civil War described Union deaths as "our loss" and Confederate death's as "the enemy's loss."
University of Washington archives
The Gazette, which ran weekly, initially cost 12 cents.
University of Washington archives
The Weekly Intelligencer debuted Aug. 5, 1867 as a later iteration of the Seattle Gazette. It became the Daily Intelligencer in 1876 and then took over a new daily startup, The Post, in 1881, becoming the Seattle Post-Intelligener.
Read more about its early history here.
Read more about its early history here.MOHAI archives
The first edition of The Weekly Intelligencer, a predecessor to the modern-day SeattlePI, prominently featured a poem title, "A Summer Scene" by Isaac M'Lellan.
MOHAI archives
The front page also included an article about a "new way to propagate grapevines."
MOHAI archives
The one-year anniversary paper of The Great Fire ran June 6, 1890. It contained an image of its June 7, 1889 edition detailing The Great Fire within a frame of new text that recounted the effects of the fire.
The P-I was the only daily publication in Seattle to report the details of the fire the morning after it destroyed more than two dozen city blocks.
Read more about the P-I's error - and subsequent correction - about the fire as reporters pieced together details of its origin.
The one-year anniversary paper of The Great Fire detailed the city's rehabilitation, calling Seattle "Daughter of Phoenix."
Check out archive photos illustrating the fire's devastation.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a New Year's Day edition advertising the natural and agricultural features of its new state, less than two months after Washington became a state in November 1889.
MOHAI archives
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran a New Year's Day edition advertising the natural and agricultural features of its new state, less than two months after Washington became a state in November 1889.
MOHAI archives
MOHAI archives
"Its politics are Republican by 10,000 majority."
The Weekly Post-Intelligencer in 1890 reported on Washington state's most recent census, which pegged Seattle's population at 43,914 - an increase of 40,381. According to HistoryLink.org, the population jumped from about 25,000 to 43,000 in the year after the Great Fire alone.
The article says Washington jumped in population from 75,116 as Washington Territory in 1880 to approximately 346,000 as Washington state in 1890.
MOHAI archives
The P-I warned readers of the general strike the day before it started on Feb. 5, 1919.
MOHAI archives
Yet another "souvenir" New Year's Day edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1895 boasts of the Puget Sound area's "gifts of nature."
MOHAI archives
Yet another "souvenir" New Year's Day edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1895 boasts of the Puget Sound area's "gifts of nature."
Did you ever think of Washington as a "parallelogram?" Something to consider.
MOHAI archives
Yet another "souvenir" New Year's Day edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in 1895 boasts of the Puget Sound area's "gifts of nature."
Here's the feature photo of the downtown Seattle waterfront.
MOHAI archives
In 1963, the P-I printed commemorative issues from the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush, during which gold-seekers funneled through Seattle to Alaska to strike it rich. The P-I announced the discovery of gold July 17, 1897 when reporter Beriah Brown, Jr. chartered a tugboat to intercept a steamer that was bringing gold back from the Klondike. He interviewed miners on deck for an hour and rushed back to Seattle in time to break the news, according to HistoryLink.org.
MOHAI archives
"Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold!"
In 1963, the P-I printed commemorative issues from the 1897 Klondike Gold Rush, during which gold-seekers funneled through Seattle to Alaska to strike it rich.
MOHAI archives
MOHAI archives
June 6, 1917: The P-I reports on the local response to the escalating World War I. On June 26, the first 14,000 U.S. troops landed in France to begin combat training.
MOHAI archives
June 6, 1917: The P-I reports on the local response to the escalating World War I. On June 26, the first 14,000 U.S. troops landed in France to begin combat training.
MOHAI archives
The P-I reports on local volunteers for World War I June 6, 1917.
MOHAI archives
The same day The P-I reported on World War I, they also alerted locals that Seattle would go 'bone-dry,' as a state prohibition law went into effect. Congress would approve the 18th Amendment banning alcohol later that year.
MOHAI archives
The Nov. 11, 1918 P-I reported the Armistice.
A January 1919 edition warning of the pending Seattle General Strike also covered the lasting effects of World War I veterans.
MOHAI archives
The P-I warned readers of the Seattle General Strike the day before it started on Feb. 5, 1919.
It grew out of an organized shipyard strike that occurred in January and included 35,000 union shipyard workers. Additional unions voted in favor of a greater strike that led to 65,000 walking off the job in February and grinding the city to a halt for five days.
Says HistoryLink.org: "Initially, the strike demonstrated the power of union solidarity, but it soon fizzled. For labor, the Seattle General Strike was a glorious folly that led to government crackdowns and to the distrust of the public and the press for a decade to come."
MOHAI archives
MOHAI archives
In other news that day, Dr. Henry Suzzallo - the namesake for that library at UW - arrived in Olympia to assist an ailing Gov. Lister and act as a special adviser. Lister died months later in office.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer alerted readers to the strike on Feb. 6, 1919.
MOHAI archives
MOHAI archives
MOHAI archives
The editorial claimed favor with organized labor, but an opposition to the infiltration of "foreign revolutionists."
The P-I was consumed with strike coverage throughout its duration. Here's the Feb. 8, 1919 edition.
MOHAI archives
The P-I was consumed with strike coverage throughout its duration.
MOHAI archives
In the Sept. 3, 1939 edition, the front page shows Britain declaring war against Germany after its invasion of Poland, setting off World War II.
In the Sept. 3, 1939 edition, the front page shows Britain declaring
war against Germany after its invasion of Poland, setting off World War
II.
The P-I ran several war extras of the paper throughout Dec. 8 and 9, 1941, as reporters scrambled to make sense of the Pearl Harbor bombing.
It's important to note SeattlePI today does not condone, not would ever use, the anti-Japanese slur used in these headlines.
The P-I ran several war extras of the paper throughout Dec. 8 and 9, 1941, as reporters scrambled to make sense of the Pearl Harbor bombing.
MOHAI archives
The P-I ran several war extras of the paper throughout Dec. 8 and 9, 1941, as reporters scrambled to make sense of the Pearl Harbor bombing.
MOHAI archives
The P-I ran several war extras of the paper throughout Dec. 8 and 9, 1941, as reporters scrambled to make sense of the Pearl Harbor bombing.
MOHAI archives
The P-I ran several war extras of the paper throughout Dec. 8 and 9, 1941, as reporters scrambled to make sense of the Pearl Harbor bombing.
MOHAI archives
The P-I ran several war extras of the paper throughout Dec. 8 and 9, 1941, as reporters scrambled to make sense of the Pearl Harbor bombing.
MOHAI archives
Aug. 15, 1945: The P-I reports on Japan's surrender, effectively ending World War II.
MOHAI archives
The P-I celebrated the opening of the World's Fair April 21, 1962.
University of Washington archives
Here's the schedule for the first day of the World's Fair, April 21, 2062. Gates opened to the public at 11 a.m. and President John F. Kennedy was scheduled to deliver a telephonic opening message at 11:57 a.m.
Other events included two water-ski shows at Memorial Stadium and an opening night concert at the Opera House with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, with Igor Stravinsky - famous for "Rite of Spring," for starters - serving as guest conductor.
University of Washington archives
A family from West Yellowstone, Mont. traveled to Seattle to check out the World's Fair.
University of Washington archives
The P-I featured Seattle Center's International Fountain above the fold the day after the World's Fair debut, April 22, 1962.
University of Washington archives
The P-I ran this aerial shot of the World's Fair campus, looking to the northwest, April 22, 1962.
University of Washington archives
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran its commemorative 100th anniversary edition a little early - in April 1963. Pictured is the old P-I office at Sixth and Wall, now home to City University.
MOHAI archives
The Seattle-to-Everett portion of Interstate 5 was finished and opened to drivers Feb. 3, 1965. The Feb. 4 edition of the P-I hailed the latest achievement in the I-5 construction that persisted through 1969.
University of Washington archives
The $41 million six-lane project linked Northeast 145th Street to the freeway, stretching north to Everett.
University of Washington archives
This traffic at the Northeast 145th Street ramp shows a familiar sight today.
University of Washington archives
April 30, 1965: A 6.5 Richter Scale earthquake rocked the Northwest, causing millions of dollars in damage April 29. The next day's newspaper pegged the epicenter of the quake near Hood Canal's Dabob Bay near the Olympic Peninsula town of Quilcene.
MOHAI archives
April 30, 1965: earthquake
MOHAI archives
Aug. 9, 1974: The P-I splashes President Richard Nixon's resignation across the front page, reporting that he would step down at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
MOHAI archives
Aug. 9, 1974: The P-I splashes President Richard Nixon's resignation across the front page, reporting that he would step down at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.
MOHAI archives
Feb. 3, 1979: Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping (or Teng Hsiao-ping) arrives in Seattle for a two-day visit. Fresh off being named "Man of the Year" by TIME, he underwent a 9-day goodwill tour of the United States which concluded in Seattle, according to HistoryLink.org.
His activities included touring a Boeing 747 plant at Paine Field in Everett and dining at Canlis in Seattle.
Dec. 1, 1999: The P-I describes the first day of the WTO conference, which launched riotous demonstrations in Seattle's streets.
Read our recent reflection on the events from its 19th anniversary.
MOHAI archives
MOHAI archives
Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper resigned Dec. 7, 1999, days after riots disrupted the WTO summit and exposed abuses in the police response to demonstrators. In announcing that he would stay on for two months after his resignation notice, he actually stayed two months longer than he'd originally planned, aiming to retire the next month.
MOHAI archives
The March 1, 2001 edition of the P-I illustrated the 6.8 Nisqually Earthquake that shook Western Washington. Look only as far as the forthcoming tear-down of the Alaskan Way Viaduct to see its continued reverberations.
University of Washington archives
As reported in this front-page graphic, more than 200 people were injured and the quake caused damage to major roadways, the Starbucks headquarters and the state Capitol.
University of Washington archives
The P-I joined the rest of the world on Sept. 12, 2001 in attempting to make sense of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. the day before.
Its lead: "In the most deadly terrorist onslaught ever waged in the United States, knife-wielding hijackers crashed two airliners into the World Trade Center yesterday, toppling its twin 110-story towers. The deadly calamity was witnessed on televisions across the world as another plane slammed into the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed outside Pittsburgh."
Daniel DeMay/SeattlePI
The Nov. 5, 2008 edition reported Barack Obama's election as the United States' first black president.
The P-I featured the election of the United States' first black president prominently on both its A1 and commemorative section.
MOHAI archives
Obama inauguration: Jan. 21, 2009
MOHAI archive
On Jan. 10, 2009, the P-I announced being put up for sale by Hearst. If not sold in 60 days, it would become an online-only publication with a significantly reduced staff or be closed outright.
MOHAI archives
MOHAI archives
As they say, journalism is "the first rough draft of history."
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A look at old Seattle Post-Intelligencer covers proves just that.
We explored old front pages stored at the Museum of History and Industry and spun through microfilm at the University of Washington's Suzzallo Library to find seminal P-I front pages that were significant to the paper and Seattle history alike.
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RELATED: Iconic moments in Seattle history
Take a look at the news according to the P-I, starting with the first edition of The Seattle Gazette, published Dec. 10, 1863 and considered the first of what would become the Seattle Post-Intelligencer within 20 years.
SeattlePI reporter Lynsi Burton can be reached at lynsiburton@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LynsiBurton_PI. Find more from Lynsi here.
