A little Seattle Trivia For You

What is widely believed to be the cause of the Great Seattle Fire of 1889?

The tipping over of a glue pot.. There are many different stories of how the Great Seattle Fire started. Regardless of how it started, it destroyed, among other things, 29 city blocks.

Paul Allen and Bill Gates, who were both born in Seattle, were co-founders of what successful software company?

Microsoft. Who would have guessed that two boys from Seattle would get together and form arguably the largest software company in the country?

All of these musicians were born in Seattle. Except...

Kurt Cobain. It is a common misconception that Kurt Cobain was born in Seattle. In actuality he was born in Aberdeen, Washington, a good 50 miles south of Seattle. He did move to Seattle eventually.

Which company was founded in Seattle?

Starbucks. Surprise, Surprise, Surprise! Seattle is generally accepted to be the coffee capital of the United States. Other companies founded in Seattle include Amazon.com, Nordstrom, and Rainier Beer.

Since 1981, what is Seattle's official nickname?

The Emerald City. Did you think it was The Evergreen City? That's actually the nickname of Washington State. Seattle used to be known as The Queen City. In fact, we have a casino called The Emerald Queen Casino. The Empire just came out of my head.

Which of Seattle's skyscrapers was at one time the tallest building west of Chicago?

The Smith Tower. Constructed on July 3, 1914, it held the distinction for 50 years. At the same time it was also the fourth tallest building in the world. And it still boasts the last manually operated elevator on the West Coast.

Seattle has many sister cities. Which is not one of its sister cities?

Paris, France. Some of our other sister cities are Chongqing, China; Christchurch, New Zealand; Preah Seihanu, Cambodia; and Perugia, Italy.

Which of the following professional sports teams does not belong to Seattle?

Silvertips. The Silvertips actually belong to Everett, a city about 30 minutes north of Seattle. The Seahawks are our NFL team, the Marniers are our MLB team and the Sounders are our USL team.

Seattle is the seat of what county?

King County. In 1852 King County was named after William Rufus King, Vice-President under President Franklin Pierce. In 1986 it was renamed after Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thurston County's seat is Olympia, which is also Washington's capital.

What discovery helped put Seattle on the map?

The discovery of gold in Alaska. Thousands of prospectors traveled from all over the country in the 1800s to try and strike it rich in Alaska. People had to travel through Washington State to get there. There was a little town that provided everything that the prospectors needed. That little town was Seattle. Thanks in part to those prospectors, Seattle has become a thriving, melting pot of cultures.