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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 9 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
64 stories matching laughter
- The Legislative Prank That Backfired
A Washington Territory legislator’s attempt to play a humorous political trick on a colleague turns into a serious row over parliamentary decorum.
- The Caucus That Wouldn't End: Olympia's 1895 Senate Deadlock
Republicans balloted again and again in a stormy Olympia caucus, while Spokane businessmen and Union veterans warned that nominating John L. Wilson would wreck the party in Eastern Washington.
- The Brewery Alibi
A burglary suspect at Duwamish claims he spent the night of the crime butchering a roadkill cow for a brewery engineer.
- The Day the Seattle Ballplayers Brought the Noise
A scrappy, hard-fought victory at the ballpark saw tempers flare and a decisive home run that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
- The Custody Battle of Baby Augustus
A toddler causes a stir in Judge Osborn's court as separated parents spar over custody rights in a high-stakes legal drama.
- The Ghost of the Well
A skeptical homesteader uncovers a decade-old double murder at an 'abandoned' property in Oldtown.
- The Church Revival Gang
A group of young men terrorized a River Park church with indecent songs and laughter, leading to a showdown with a determined pastor.
- Prison Guard Shoots Inmate in Jute Mill Fight
A convict is wounded during a prison brawl after guards are ordered to use live ammunition to stop frequent fighting.
- Election Night at the P-I Office
A rainy evening finds the crowd gathered in front of the Post-Intelligencer, where the mood shifts from Republican jubilation to Populist silence.
- The Rivalry That Built the Sound
In 1887, C.B. Wright, a key figure in the development of Tacoma, reflects on the 'nip and go' panic that forced the Northern Pacific terminus to choose between Tacoma and Seattle.
- The Dream of a Factory City on Lake Union
Promotional copy for the Denny Hoyt Townsite, promising a booming industrial future for Seattle's lakeside property in 1888.
- The Heckler Who Fell Flat
A political agitator's attempt to disrupt a Seattle campaign rally on Pioneer Place ends in a literal tumble.
- The Soapbox Fury of Pioneer Place
On a shivering evening in 1892, disgruntled citizens and Populist agitators took to the streets of Seattle to decry 'subsidized editors,' crooked bond issues, and the 'damnable state of things.'
- The Scandal at St. Mary’s
A Seattle Episcopal rector faces a congregation-led revolt after rumors of 'immoral practices' turn an ordinary service into a chaotic public showdown.
- The Perils of the Victorian Parlor
A late-night rumination on the changing customs of romance in 1876 Seattle, where the 'exclusive' courting of young lovers in the family home was already starting to baffle the older generation.
- John L. Sullivan's Seattle Takeover
When the world’s heavyweight champion brought his traveling theatrical troupe to town, the city went into a frenzy of gawking, impersonations, and mass hysteria.
- A Mock Legislature and a Midnight Meltdown in Olympia
In the final hours of Washington's 1893 session, lawmakers cut a railroad freight rate, fought over a harbor commission, and staged a mock legislature as the clock struck midnight.
- The 'White River Assembly' Takes on the State Senate
A scathing labor petition read aloud in the Washington State Senate sparks both laughter and warnings of political reckoning for those who ignored the working class.
- The Yellow Glove Standoff on San Juan Island
When American informality faced British stiff-upper-lip formality in a frontier courtroom, a pair of gaudy kid gloves settled the diplomatic score.
- Locked Away for Being a Stranger
A Seattle man traveling to meet his brother in Tacoma finds himself swept up in a case of mistaken identity, thrown into a filthy, unventilated jail cell, and ignored by officials despite his pleas for evidence.
- The Empty Crib at the Corner of Third and Union
A quiet, haunting reflection from 1876 Seattle on the enduring grief of losing a child and the keepsakes that remain.
- The Great Egg Heist: A Drunken Chase Ends in Laughter on Pike Street
When James Quinn grabbed a case of eggs near First Avenue, Officer Cameron gave chase with drawn revolver—only for the 'thief' to surrender with a request for a cigarette.
- The 'Corpse' Who Sat Up and Ran for the Bay
A wharf loafer mistaken for a corpse startled undertakers when he sat up in the receiving box, bolted for the water and fled uptown.
- The First Washington Legislature: A Pioneer's Memory
A look back at the frontier days of 1854, when lawmakers traveled by rowboat to Olympia and held sessions in a modest frame building.
- The Alibi That Could Save a Condemned Man
A condemned man's fate hinges on a Tacoma Labor Day alibi, a jailhouse confession, and a tailor who may have been pressured to identify bloody clothes.