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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
31 stories matching comic
- The Great Editorial Tug-of-War
When the National Editorial Association arrived in the Sound, Seattle and Tacoma engaged in a petty, comical, and highly public battle to 'kidnap' the visiting editors.
- The Wild, Wild West of 'Africa'
A spectacular comic opera takes over the Marquam Grand Theatre, featuring a cast of seventy and a plot about a gullible college student misled into thinking he's exploring the Dark Continent.
- A Tired Opera Troupe Nearly Sinks, Then Saves Itself
The Pyke Opera Company reached Seattle after three days of hard travel, opened two comic operas under-rehearsed, and turned a rocky first night into a success.
- The Day Newport Showed Off: Fourth of July, 1909
A rain-threatened holiday still drew crowds for an industrial parade, patriotic speeches, baseball, log-rolling and a dance—without a single arrest.
- The Great Impersonator: Vivian Takes Seattle by Storm
In August 1872, the 'Grammatical Comic Impersonator' Chas. Vivian captivated the Pacific Northwest with his vocal mimicry and costume changes, performing alongside a dancer from the Paris Opera.
- The Traveling Show at Yesler’s Hall
A rare Seattle appearance of the Lilliputian Comic Opera Company promises a spectacle of stature—from 28-inch performers to a 600-pound giant.
- The Floor Gives Way: Panic and Death at Seattle’s Morris Opera House
A grand opening night turns into a nightmare when the second-story floor of the newly converted theater collapses into the stables below, killing several and injuring dozens in one of the city's earliest major disasters.
- The Balloon-Powered Park Plan
A satirical interview with a Seattle developer reveals the absurd lengths civic boosters would go to inflate the value of local land.
- Mining, Military Drills, and a Skunk's Demise in Black Diamond
An 1885 dispatch from the Black Diamond coal fields details civic improvements, the formation of a local militia company, and a comical, if ill-fated, experiment involving a captive skunk.
- The Snohomish 'Lady' and the River Trick
A local performance in the Snohomish social scene reveals a talent that bridged the gap between labor and artistry, even if the era's framing was narrow.
- The Great Ensilage Experiment of 1887
When an experimental farm in King County opened its massive silo, it sparked a neighborhood sensation that smelled like 'the mischief' but promised a revolution in Washington agriculture.
- The Human Deck of Cards
A society spectacle at the Armory features 52 people dressed as playing cards in a meticulously choreographed dance that ended in a 'living' game of whist.
- The Blackmailer of the Bird's Nest
A husband is convicted of attempting to blackmail a police commissioner, exposing his wife's past life in the Everett underworld.
- A Counterfeit Paper Trail Runs Through Seattle
Seattle customs officials insist no forged Chinese registration certificates have surfaced here, while the stories of two men tied to a San Francisco counterfeiting ring spill into Tacoma and Port Townsend.
- The Benefit Smoker for Striking Switchmen
Everett workers filled Fraternal Hall for a night of wrestling and boxing to support switchmen during their long-running strike.
- The Roses of December: A Seattle Winter's Tale
A traveler describes the mild wonders of Seattle's weather in 1885, reflecting on the region's rapid growth and its promise as a 'poor man's paradise'—if one can handle the labor.
- A Night of Masks for a Neighbor in Need
When an illness left a woman unable to work, the Gilman community stepped up with a masquerade ball to raise funds for her care.
- The Rising Power of the Common Citizen
A look at the growing influence of public opinion against the encroachment of corporate monopolies in late 19th-century American politics.
- Fraternity on the Diamond: The Odd Fellows' Grand Celebration
When Seattle’s Odd Fellows hosted a massive multi-day anniversary celebration in 1892, they turned the local baseball park into a scene of chaotic amateur athletics, friendly rivalries, and unbridled civic enthusiasm.
- A War of Words Across the Mountains
North Yakima takes a sharp jab at Ellensburgh’s reputation for windstorms and failing infrastructure.
- Expelled for a Poem About Jonah: A Davenport Boy Takes On His School Board
Henry Selde recited a comic verse hinting the whale never swallowed Jonah. His teacher cut him off mid-recitation, the board backed her, and a secular union carried the case all the way to the state superintendent — who said he had no authority to act.
- The Unlikely Fortune of 'After the Ball'
A Milwaukee music publisher recounts how a banjo player with no formal training turned a popular song into a small fortune.
- The Bureaucracy of Getting Hitched
A deputy clerk at the Pierce County courthouse recounts the chaotic, comical, and bureaucratic hurdles faced by couples seeking marriage licenses.
- The Hay Thief, the Bathtub, and the Shotgun Out of Repair
A Westside barn alarm turns into a comic opera of nightshirts, a borrowed shotgun and one stolen bale of hay.
- Standing Room Only: Seattle's Amateur Thespians Surprise Their Director
The Athletic Club's comic travesty packs Cordary's Theater to the rafters, and a floral tribute turns the second act into an ambush for director Bray.
Also about this, in other words
- The Jailhouse Cartoonist
A talented prisoner turns scraps of cardboard into caricatures of local officials, revealing a hidden history of talent behind bars.
- The Theater vs. The Newsroom
Local journalists take to the baseball diamond to soundly defeat Cordray's Theater team.
- The Unwanted Guest of Providence Hospital
A 'harmless crank' in 1885 Seattle exposes the gaps in the city's social safety net.
- An Indignant Patron
A Chinese man refuses a segregated ticket policy at a local circus.
- A Dangerous Practical Joke
A man is hospitalized after a prank turns into a violent confrontation, landing his three attackers in legal trouble.
- A Printing Office Blunder
A romantic visit to a printing office turns disastrous for a typographer when his fiancée accidentally destroys his hours of labor.
- The Human Spider of Occidental Square
A sailor scaled a 135-foot flagpole in downtown Seattle to keep the city’s Fourth of July celebrations on schedule.
- Mentalist Collapses on Seattle Stage
A theatrical performance of 'muscle reading' turned into a medical emergency when Prof. J. McIvor Tyndall collapsed in a cataleptic fit.