Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 4 |
| 1858 | 11 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 11 |
| 1862 | 8 |
| 1863 | 8 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1872 | 10 |
| 1876 | 51 |
| 1877 | 39 |
| 1878 | 22 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 9 |
| 1883 | 52 |
| 1884 | 28 |
| 1885 | 45 |
| 1886 | 25 |
| 1887 | 29 |
| 1888 | 27 |
| 1889 | 63 |
| 1890 | 12 |
| 1891 | 46 |
| 1892 | 86 |
| 1893 | 102 |
| 1894 | 103 |
| 1895 | 141 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 10 |
| 1899 | 15 |
| 1900 | 9 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 45 |
| 1904 | 29 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 16 |
| 1909 | 30 |
| 1910 | 6 |
| 1911 | 6 |
| 1912 | 4 |
| 1914 | 8 |
| 1915 | 6 |
| 1916 | 7 |
| 1917 | 7 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
1,168 stories matching learn
- The Domestic Help Crisis of 1891
As the Pacific Northwest boomed, the P-I warned that a 'growing distaste' for housework among the working class threatened to turn the domestic service shortage into a bigger issue than currency reform.
- Fire Consumes Grand Forks Property
A blaze up the Wishkah River destroys a barn and two homes just as a real estate deal was nearing completion.
- The Bond Election That Wasn't Legal
Olympia's council pushed the city into debt and ordered a vote before checking whether it had the authority to do so — then spent public money to learn it hadn't. The Tribune, having warned them, savours the mess.
- A Threshing Machine Tragedy
A farm worker suffers a horrific injury after falling into a threshing machine near Spokane.
- The Bank Robber Who Got Away—Twice
A fugitive accused of targeting the First Bank of White Bluffs has slipped through the hands of the law yet again.
- The Tragedy on the Skagit River
A routine river crossing turned fatal for a laborer and his companion, highlighting the constant peril of frontier travel.
- The Street-Sweeping Crackdown of 1889
Local merchants learn the hard way that the city is no longer tolerating trash on the sidewalk as ordinances go into effect.
- The Political Club That Stood Up to a Partisan Purge
In 1885, a band of concerned citizens formed an 'independent' club to protect the judiciary from political interference, launching a defiant campaign to keep a respected judge on the bench.
- Two Hours Adrift on a Capsized Skiff
After a sudden squall capsized their small boat on the way to Seattle, two young sailors survived hours clinging to the keel in the frigid waters of Puget Sound.
- Orchardists Face New Menace
A dangerous agricultural blight has hit nearly every orchard in the Highlands, prompting an urgent call for collective intervention.
- A Dispute Over Money Ends With a Shot Through the Kidneys Near the White River
John Morse of Seattle shoots a man near Steele's Landing over money matters and escapes; the wounded man is not expected to live.
- The High Cost of Calf-Busting
Two young boys in the Highlands learn the hard way that bronco-busting isn't quite as easy when the bronco is a farm calf.
- The Seattle Restaurant Pistol Melee
A breakfast turned violent when a man confronted the two thieves who had stolen his belongings—and who had served as witnesses in the Squak massacre trials.
- The Great Quarantine: Port Ludlow’s Armed Stand Against 'Commercial Agents'
In a rare display of local vigilante health policy, armed residents of Port Ludlow blocked a boat from Victoria, British Columbia, forcing it away after learning the passengers had smallpox.
- The Hollow Stump Swindle
A Spokane farmer learns the hard way that promises of quick riches found in a forest stump usually lead to empty pockets.
- The Rising Waters of the Talbot Mine
An underground spring floods a local mine, threatening to halt operations just as the town's industrial future takes root.
- The Price of a 'Square Meal' for a Piano Tuner
After recovering from a drinking binge in Oroville, a hungry traveler found himself penniless—and learned the hard way that business owners in 1882 took a dim view of unpaid bills.
- The Sleeping Thief of the Lake View
A lodging house guest thinks a quick snooze is the perfect cover for a crime.
- The Weight of Responsibility: A Victorian Lesson for Snohomish Parents
In an 1877 editorial, a Snohomish observer argued that character was a hereditary and domestic inheritance, placing the burden of societal progress squarely on the shoulders of the home.
- The Seattle Tax Trap: How the City Council Tried to Force You to Pay for Sidewalks
A Snohomish resident learns that Washington's territorial legislature lacks the power to create municipalities like Seattle—and whether your city can legally bill you for street improvements.
- The Dock Lease That Toppled a General Manager
A fight over leasing Arlington Dock led the Pacific Navigation Company's president to abolish the general manager's job, fire and rehire an agent, and move headquarters to the wharf.
- The Transformation of Jim
After serving time in jail, a local man known as Jim commits to learning English and adopting American customs.
- Community Rallies for Stricken Homesteader
Neighbors in Washtucna raise funds to send an afflicted young man to a Walla Walla hospital.
- The Bailey Gatzert Goes Dark: Seattle’s Favorite Steamer Laid Up for Bankruptcy
Despite being a beloved fixture of Puget Sound travel, the steamer Bailey Gatzert has been suspended from service because passenger traffic cannot cover its operating costs. With $2,000 lost on its recent Tacoma run and no sleeping quarters to justify a northern route, the vessel sits idle while officials debate a new one-day round-trip to Victoria.
- The Swarm That Stalled the Trains
A plague of army worms in a Washington swamp grew so thick they brought a locomotive to a grinding, slippery halt.