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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 13 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 8 |
| 1889 | 16 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 15 |
| 1893 | 18 |
| 1894 | 15 |
| 1895 | 24 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 6 |
| 1899 | 6 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 12 |
| 1904 | 6 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 4 |
| 1909 | 15 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 3 |
| 1915 | 6 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1925 | 1 |
231 stories matching predict
- The Waterfront Flood That Never Was
Hundreds of Seattleites gathered at the waterfront, expecting a disastrous high tide prediction that failed to materialize.
- Spokane Prophetess Predicts End of World
An elderly Spokane woman has prophesied that the world will end on December 30th, sparking religious fervor among the local tribes.
- Heatwave Keeps Walla Walla Sweltering
After the weather observer's forecast for a cooling storm fails, frustrated locals turn to unconventional cooling methods.
- The Political Primary of 1912
Everett voters head to the polls to narrow down candidates, with the 'wet or dry' saloon question looming over the civic contest.
- Is the U.S. Weather Bureau a Fraud?
A Tacoma newspaper puts the national weather forecasting service to the test, finding that while local predictions often fail, the bureau struggles most in the capital itself.
- The $5 Million Railroad Promise That Defined Modern Seattle
In November 1880, local investors secured $5 million to connect Seattle to Walla Walla by rail, sparking an immediate boom and the prediction that the city’s population would hit 30,000 within five years.
- The Seattle Star’s Bold Prediction: Cable Cars, Real Estate Booms, and the 'Famine' of Housing
In March 1899, the city's leading paper championed new transit infrastructure as the key to unlocking a real estate boom, while simultaneously warning of a severe shortage of homes for newcomers.
- The Weatherman’s Excuse: 'We Have No Stations on the Ocean'
Seattle's official meteorologist defends his inaccurate forecasts by blaming the lack of coastal observation posts and the unpredictable nature of Pacific storms.
- The City That Wants to Be the Boston of the Pacific
While San Francisco fretfully watches its own supremacy, an 1880 editorial predicts a rising Puget Sound metropolis of millions.
- The Great Seattle Fire: A Call to Rebuild
In the shadow of the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, a local editor calls for unity, resilience, and an end to public complaining as the city begins the monumental task of reconstruction.
- The Boom That Refuses To Bust
While critics predicted the collapse of the Washington boom, the territory points to its literal bedrock—coal, iron, timber, and grain—as proof of its enduring prosperity.
- Stevens County Sets a Date to Vote the Saloons Out
With the petition deadlines cleared, the county auditor orders a Nov. 9 local-option election — and the dry forces, organized out of Colville, are predicting the small-town saloons are finished.
- The Man Who Would Build His Own Locomotives
In 1876, Seattle industrialist J.M. Colman rejected foreign machinery in favor of local manufacturing, predicting a self-sufficient Pacific Northwest within five years.
- The Vagabond Fortune-Teller: Seattle Arrests 'Madame Malla' for the Crime of Telling Futures
In May 1877, the city’s law enforcement decided that predicting the future was a crime against public order. They dragged 'Madame Malla' from her shop, citing vagrancy, despite her having done nothing but read palms.
- The Iron Road Approaches
Booster predictions anticipate the arrival of the Great Northern railway in Yakima within the year.
- Bondholders Move to Foreclose on Seattle's Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad
Reorganization committee member says nearly all $8.4 million in bonds are deposited; predicts traffic will grow when business revives.
- A Night at the Chinese Theater in Tacoma
Despite warnings of anti-Chinese agitation, a traveling troupe’s performance at the Tacoma Theater draws a packed and appreciative crowd.
- The Boomtown Delusion of 1880
A newly minted Eastern Washington town predicts it will hit 20,000 residents in a decade—the original Seattle-area land speculation fever dream.
- The Great Grasshopper Panic: Why Washington Farmers Are Bracing for a Locust Apocalypse
Professor Riley predicts an unprecedented crop of grasshoppers across the Northwest and beyond, urging immediate preparation as eggs hatch in offices from Minnesota to Missouri.
- President Hewitt Blasts Tacoma's Water Plant Purchase
Everett developer Hewitt slams Tacoma city officials over the proposed purchase of a water utility, citing graft and excessive bonded debt.
- A Politician Predicts the Railroad Commission
Prominent attorney and local political leader Lester S. Wilson advocates for state oversight of the railway monopolies.
- The Salmon Strike That Moved an Industry: How Columbia River Fishermen’s Union Priced Themselves Out of Business
In February 1898, a Chicago buyer predicted that the fishermen's demand for higher wages would force salmon canneries to abandon the Columbia River for Alaska—a prediction that came true within a decade.
- Railroad Dreams in Benton County
Local boosters anticipate the arrival of the Great Northern Railway, predicting it will cement Kennewick's status as a key hub for oriental markets.
- Tacoma’s New Business Plan: Import High-Grade Opium for the Whole North
With the tariff cut, Tacoma entrepreneurs predicted they could supply wealthy opium users from Oregon to the Atlantic—and collect thousands in customs duties.
- The Push for Irrigation Money
Speculators and investors scramble to bring water to Yakima valley lands, betting on a future boom.