History of Seattle/ New Year Predictions and Thoughts

    20's While the period of time was referred to as the Roaring 20's by many other parts of the country, Seattle was experiencing an economic downslide.  Their major industries, lumber and shipbuilding, seemed to be at a stand still.  Over six thousand people were unemployed, nearly half were service men returning from the First World War.  Amidst this economic disaster a small fledgling company named Boeing was founded. Also was founded the Millionaires Club, which offered employment to homeless men as it does today.  In 1920 Seattle's population was about
315,000, in 1930 it rose to 365,000.

30's The Great Depression in Seattle was a very hard time for
Seattlite.  In October of 1932 unemployed workers built shacks on nine acres of vacant land located a few blocks south of Pioneer Square in Seattle.  They called this place shantytown, Hooverville, in honor of President Herbert Hoover.  On March 2, 1933, the governor of Seattle, Clarence martin closed all banks in Seattle.  This was caused by the Depression, and by failed bank loans which forced some banks to go bankrupt with depositors losing their money.  The US Currency was backed by gold, but this demand of gold could not be met.  On 3-3-1933, Washington State Senate Bill No. 185 was introduced to declare a bank holiday to provide a temporary closure for all banks in the state. Ferry Kalakala readies for her maiden voyage on 7-2-1935!  The Kalakala boards more than 500 guests on her first day.  At 12:45 p.m. she starts running under the command of Captain Wallace Mangan.  The vessel made a speed of 17.3 knots.  The Kalakala ran until 6:00 pm.  Today we know the Kalakala from its return to Seattle from Alaska. 

        Eddie Bauer invents the down parka in Seattle in 1936!  At the age of twenty two Eddie Bauer opened his own sporting goods store.  In 1934 he was on a fishing trip, and he almost died because he had shed his too heavy winter jacket.  He then decided to make the Skyliner which in 1936 became a popular Eddie Bauer jacket.
In 1938 on 12-17-1938 the Lake Washington Floating Bridge construction began! It was to be the largest floating bridge in the world!  It was also to increase the population in the suburban development. Filipino ground breaker, Pio de Cano wins the right to own property on 4-30-1940!  Pio de Cano, an important Filipino figure in Seattle in the early 1940's, wins a landmark case causing Filipinos to purchase land in Seattle for the first time.  He won the case on the grounds that Filipinos had not been "aliens" but "nationals" at the time the law passed.  after the ruling, de Cano became the first Filipino homeowner in Seattle.

    One of the most exciting historical events in Seattle from 1930-1940
was the building of the Lake Washington Floating Bridge.  This was so exciting because it made such a big impact on Seattle when it was built and it is still a huge part of Seattle today.  People still constantly
use this bridge to travel to Seattle from Mercer Island or from Mercer Island to Seattle.  On June 5, 1940 the first car crossed the Lake Washington Floating Bridge.  The bridge took 18 months to complete. 3000 employees took part in it and sometimes there would be as many as 1200 people working on it at once.  This 3,387 ft. long bridge was the largest floating structure ever built by people.

      40's The major breakthrough in Seattle's history between 1940-1950 was the Boeing Company.  With the United States in World War II (1939-1945) the Boeing Company in Seattle began producing hundreds of B-17 flying fortress bombers.  that plane was the most important strategic bomber in the American war effort .  The highest point for the U.S., in the war was in 1944 when Boeing made 362 B-17's.  Seattle also produced B-29 Super fortress bombers, one of which dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan.  During World War II, the Boeing company had revenues of $22,816 million, and profits of $1,095 million.  They employed 143,000. 60's The World's Fair opened in Seattle with a "space age" theme, including the now famous Space Needle and Monorail.
  Hanley Mead, Monica Antonellis, Lindsey Whitford

New Year Predictions and Thoughts

 In the year 2000, I don't think too much will happen.  I also don't
think anything will happen January 1st at 12:00 P.M.  People are making too big of a deal out of this whole Y2K thing.  The reason I don't think anything will happen in the year 2000 is because I think all the events leading up to 2000 is enough.
Erika Corbin

 The year 2000 will bring many eventful events and many new exciting things.  This new year has been so looked forward to that the Space Needle has been booked for nearly 5 years.  But is the new year really such a good thing/  Yes, there will be fun parties staying up till midnight, counting the last seconds of the year 1999 of the clock.  But all for all it will be very, very exciting to go into the new millennium.  It is neat to think what kind of things there will be in the next thousand years.  Cars running on air or water, that skim over the ground instead of having wheels.  Dogs that live to be 80 years old in human years and having humans living to be 150 is no big deal.  The future is very exciting.
Alexandra Song

 The biggest concern about the year two thousand is the "Y2K".  I say that because everyone says that the computer, banks, and any technical device is going to shut down and not work anymore. Also the fun of the year two thousand is that you live through a millennium and you see how different it is from the 1900's.  So I think it's going to be a fright but more people are going to be happy than sad.
Chris Keopraseurt



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