Boy, oh boy, it’s been a year. And recently, we’ve been thinking back on some big Seattle moments. Our city has been in the news a lot from having CHOP/CHAZ to being basically the start of the COVID-19 virus in the US. So we thought it’s the perfect time to look at a few times that Seattle went viral, whether good or bad.
Seattle’s CHOP/CHAZ
We all know that 2020 was a year of many things, namely a pandemic and much-needed social reform. When it comes to social reform, Seattle really popped off. Our city’s CHOP/CHAZ made local, national, and global headlines as well as attacks from Fox News and Trump himself. It certainly was a time to be in the city.
2020’s Cheesecake Factory looter
May 31st of last year was a day that downtown Seattle will never forget. Protests over George Floyd’s death turned into looting and while many people chose to steal luxury goods or electronics, one woman let her stomach do the looting. Because she chose to grab a cheesecake from the iconic Cheesecake factory which happened to be caught in a live broadcast. We don’t blame her.
The iconic April Fool’s Space Needle prank
On April 1st, 1989, the skyline looked a little bit different… or did it? KING 5 Newsroom released a special prank segment detailing the tragic collapse of Seattle’s most iconic building complete with fake footage of the collapsed building. The prank didn’t make many people laugh though and the station got hundreds of phone calls as well as nationwide attention. If you ask us though, the prank clearly worked.
The COVID-19 pandemic
Seattle’s been on the map for a lot of things and in 2020 one of those things was for being the first place in the nation to have a COVID-19 case and subsequent outbreak. We quite literally went viral. While it was obviously a very dark and hard time for everyone in the city we also made some pretty big milestones. Like being the first place in the nation to vaccinate 70% of eligible residents. Not too shabby.
The eruption of Mount St Helens
Sure, it’s not really Seattle but Mount St Helens is one of our state’s most iconic mountains just not quite as iconic as Rainier of course. But it is an active volcano and that’s pretty cool except for of course the time that it erupted in 1980. It was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the country’s history. It killed 57 people, destroyed 200 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways, and 185 miles of highway. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again anytime soon!
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A local teacher’s TikTok field trips
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When you’re a kindergartener learning online just really isn’t the same as in person. So Redmond area teacher Mr. Talcott went above and beyond and created some super cool interactive classes for his students. One of those classes included a virtual field trip to the Woodland Park Zoo, pretty cute huh?
This local food truck’s mask policy
Masks were really hard for a lot of people during the pandemic, like, really hard. Local food truck Swine and Steel made sure to remind folks that it doesn’t have to be that hard. They put out a massive sign with the statement “masks go over mouth & nose, it’s been a year, I could potty train a dog faster than this”. Straight to the point if you ask us, we wonder if Fox News covered this one.
The sale of Seattle’s National Archives
Not everything that Seattle has gone viral for is funny and the sale of the National Archive is one of those things. During 2020 and the Trump Administration Seattle almost lost one of its most treasured buildings, the Seattle branch of the National Archives and Records. You’re probably wondering why this is a big deal and the bottom line is public access to information and data. More specifically for the group of tribes, historians, Seattleites who used the archives. The good news is that for now the sale of the Seattle National Archives is halted.
The big old Seattle earthquake
Seattleites got a rude awakening in 2015 when we all found out that Seattle could be ground zero of the worst natural disaster in the history of North America. Bold statement right? Well, Seattle sits right on the Cascadia subduction zone meaning that everything West of I-5 will be gone when the big one hits.
If you didn’t know that, we’re sorry this is how you had to find out but you can relax knowing that it could happen at literally anytime. Meaning there’s no point in worrying because if it happens, it happens.
The Barefoot Bandit
Not exactly Seattle but just due north, Colton Harris Moore, a Mount Vernon native, became known around the world as the Barefoot Bandit. Moore was charged with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of theft when he was still just a teen and also a fugitive. He stole things ranging from small aircraft to boats and cash.
As he came from a rough background the story isn’t exactly a sweet one but as he was on the run, many people were rooting for him despite his path of destruction and there’s even a documentary about him if you’re curious.
We know a lot of this has happened somewhat recently and also that a few things are kind of out of Seattle. That being said, all were worth including and we’re sure there will be many more times that Seattle goes viral in the future. We hope this gives you a laugh, a smile, or maybe teaches you something new. Enjoy folks!
