Washington State Facts

Catch up on your trivia with these Washington history firsts and fun facts.

Pacific Northwest

Washington History Firsts - Washington State Facts

• 1805 and1806 - Lewis and Clark explored the Columbia River area of what is now Washington.
• 1954 - First flight of Boeing 707, first jet transport.
• 1961 - Seattle is home to the first revolving restaurant.
• 1974 - Spokane was the smallest city in size to host a World's Fair.  
• 1980 - On May 18, 1980, Mount Saint Helens erupted in Washington, resulting in 57 deaths and billions of dollars in damage.
• 1986 - King county the largest county in Washington was originally named after William R. King, Vice President under Franklin Pierce; it was renamed in 1986, after civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• 1990 - According to the 1990 census, more than half the residents of metropolitan Seattle were born outside Washington. 
• 1997 - Gary Locke became the first Asian American governor in the continental United States.

More Washington History Firsts - Washington State Facts

• The state of Washington is the only state to be named after a United States president.
• In addition to its state song, Washington also has an official state folk song: Roll on Columbia, Roll On. 
• Washington is number one in the country in the production of these fruits and vegetables: apples, lentils, dry edible peas, hops, pears, red raspberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries. 
• Washington is home to Boeing, the world's largest aircraft maker. 
• Washington has over 1,000 dams.
• Washington state produces more apples than any other state in the union.
• Washington state has more glaciers than the other 47 contiguous states combined.
• Washington state's capitol building was the last state capitol building to be built with a rotunda.
• Everett is the site of the world's largest building, Boeing's final assembly plant.
• Medina is the home of the United States wealthiest man, Microsoft's Bill Gates.
• The Northwestern most point in the contiguous U.S. is Cape Flattery on Washington's Olympic Peninsula.
• The state of Washington is the only state to be named after a United States president. 
• Microsoft Corporation is located in Redmond. 
• Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the world was founded in Seattle.
• Before it became a state, the territory was called Columbia (named after the Columbia River). When it was granted statehood, the name was changed to Washington, supposedly so people wouldn't confuse it with The District of Columbia.
• The highest point in Washington is Mount Rainier. It was named after Peter Rainier, a British soldier who fought against the Americans in the Revolutionary War.
• The Governor Albert D. Rosellini Bridge at Evergreen Point is the longest floating bridge in the world. The bridge connects Seattle and Medina across Lake Washington.
• Washington is the birthplace of both Jimi Hendrix (Seattle) and Bing Crosby (Tacoma).
• The oldest operating gas station in the United States is in Zillah.
• Washington's state insect is the Green Darner Dragonfly.
• The world's first soft-serve ice cream machine was located in an Olympia Dairy Queen.