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.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 10 |
| 1889 | 30 |
| 1891 | 15 |
| 1892 | 31 |
| 1893 | 45 |
| 1894 | 43 |
| 1895 | 94 |
268 stories matching experiment
- The Miracle of the Magnetized Spikes
A visiting electrical engineer stuns a packed Plymouth Congregational Church with a massive 5,000-candlepower lamp and a demonstration of magnetic force.
- The End of the Horse-Drawn Era?
As inventors race to perfect the motor carriage, the city of the future promises cleaner streets and the eventual extinction of the horse as a daily utility.
- The Germ War on Washington’s Wheat-Field Squirrels
A state bacteriologist in Seattle tested whether a contagious germ could turn Eastern Washington’s crop-destroying ground squirrels into agents of their own destruction.
- The Blue-Flowered Bonanza: How Whatcom County Found Flax
A Ferndale doctor's experiments convince the federal government that Puget Sound can out-produce Europe's linen fields — and New York capital starts paying attention.
- The War on the Wharf-Eating Teredo
After five years of experimentation, a Seattle developer discovers that creosoted piles are the only way to save the city's waterfront from the voracious wood-boring mollusk.
- The Political Reckoning in Spokane
A landslide victory for Republicans in Spokane signals a growing wave of public frustration with Democratic city administrations across Washington state.
- The Barber Who Ran for Mayor: A Dream of Detective Work
When an unsuccessful mayoral candidate applied for a municipal detective job in 1891, his bizarre, globe-trotting proposal sent the Ballard City Council into fits of laughter.
- After the Great Fire: Seattle Extends a Hand to Ellensburg
Fresh from the ashes of its own catastrophic blaze, Seattle offers sympathy and aid to a sister city devastated by fire.
- The Pigeons That Flew Down From Rainier With News the Mountain Was Smoking
Seven homing pigeons carried dispatches from Mount Rainier's slopes, disproving the era's altitude limits and delivering word that the volcano was steaming.
- 1,950 Farmers Tested Whether Washington Could Grow Its Own Sugar
A statewide experiment from Pullman found Washington soil and climate unusually suited to sugar beets—raising hopes that the state could someday manufacture all the sugar it consumed.
- The Strange Afterlife of a Murdered Man
Letters from disgruntled ex-wives and rivals surface after a Waterville man is murdered, revealing a long, chaotic trail of failed marriages.
- The Auld Mill Experiment
Shingle weavers launch a cooperative, sharing the risks and rewards of their labor during a period of economic uncertainty.
- A Shipboard Altercation at Port Blakely
A sailor is hospitalized with a broken leg following a mysterious scuffle in the forecastle of a ship docked at Port Blakely.
- The Agnostic Sermon at St. Mark's
A clergyman challenges the rising tide of skepticism and materialistic 'dogmatism' in 1893 Seattle.
- The Unlucky Traveler of Snoqualmie Pass
A man’s attempt to cross the mountains turns into a desperate struggle against the elements.
- Ezra Meeker’s Golden Rules for Hop Success
The legendary pioneer shares his controversial methods for baling hops hot to secure the crucial foreign market.
- The Miner Who Hung by His Teeth
A coal miner's miraculous survival after a terrifying fall through a trestle near Palmer highlights the dangers of early industrial work.
- Civil War Veterans Reunited at the Rainier Hotel
Two former officers meet at the Rainier Hotel to recount the battles of the Civil War after decades of separation.
- Annie Besant and the Science of the Astral
A prominent Theosophist lecturer brings mystical discourse to the Seattle Theater, claiming that science confirms the existence of the 'astral body.'
- The Cigarette Divorce
A Seattle woman sues for divorce, claiming her husband's persistent habit of smoking cigarettes in bed was a personal indignity that ruined her rest.
- A Boy’s Near-Fatal Caprice
A 14-year-old boy who accidentally hanged himself while experimenting was saved by doctors using artificial respiration.
- A Tragic Labor Tragedy at the Port Gamble Mill
A young laborer, driven by economic necessity to work beyond his experience, loses his life in a mill accident.
- The Centennial Parade and the Future of the National Guard
A look back at the grand military display in New York as a blueprint for rapid mobilization on the Pacific Coast.
- Spokane Falls Devastated by Fire
Following the Great Seattle Fire, the sister city of Spokane Falls faces its own catastrophic conflagration, with millions in damages.
- Tacoma’s Work Relief Experiment
Facing economic hardship, the city of Tacoma launches a public works program that prioritizes heads of households over others.