Local History

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News >  Spokane

This day in history: Chronicle begins running Doonesbury. Spokane inmate sawed his way through Sandpoint jail

UPDATED: Mon., Jan. 26, 2026

From 1976: The Spokane Daily Chronicle announced the launch of two new comic strips: B.C. and Doonesbury.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Fire destroyed the home of a Vietnamese refugee family resettled in Spokane

UPDATED: Mon., Jan. 26, 2026

From 1976: A Vietnamese refugee family was attending an English language class when they learned that their home on West 14th Avenue went up in smoke.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: A plane crash with no victim turned out to be the work of an inept ‘joyrider’

UPDATED: Mon., Jan. 26, 2026

From 1976: Someone stole a Cessna 150 from Felts Field and crashed it into a gravel pit at Eighth Avenue and Carnahan Road.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Fog forces flights to divert to Fairchild. Daily Chronicle to crown ‘Baby Spokane’

UPDATED: Tue., Jan. 20, 2026

From 1976: Six Northwest Airlines flights touched down in Spokane – but not at Spokane International Airport.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: City likely wouldn’t meet federal clean air standards. CdA faces juvenile crime spree

Mon., Jan. 19, 2026

From 1976: Spokane would be unable to meet federal air quality standards in 1976 without some additional clean air programs, said Fred Shiosaki, director of the Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Ground was broken on one of Spokane’s unique landmarks. Bootleggers’ secrets revealed

Sun., Jan. 18, 2026

From 1976: Groundbreaking was scheduled later in the week for the distinctively shaped Spokane County Social and Health Services Center, which was intended to house all departments of the Spokane County Health District.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Undercover reporter who was ‘thirsty as a storage battery’ discovered free flowing booze

Sat., Jan. 17, 2026

From 1976: The Spokane Daily Chronicle reported that the Spokane Valley area wasn’t the only suburb with a population boom – the area north of Spokane was increasingly popular.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: How two Eastern Washington boys survived two weeks stranded on Mount Hood

Fri., Jan. 16, 2026

From 1976: Three teenage mountaineers, including two from the Walla Walla area, stumbled off Mount Hood after being trapped for two weeks by storms.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Willie, the parrot who cried for help, could not be helped. Spokane Coyotes prepared for radio debut

Thu., Jan. 15, 2026

From 1976: More than 50 South Hill residents reported hearing a mysterious character crying for “Help!” from somewhere up in the trees.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Lewis and Clark High School traded vandalism with North Central in preparation for rivalry game

Wed., Jan. 14, 2026

From 1976: Fairchild Air Force Base security personnel – including a police canine – searched nearly 300 cars entering and leaving the base.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Before Spokane was an entertainment destination, some blamed union salaries

Tue., Jan. 13, 2026

From 1976: Was the local stagehands union causing entertainment acts to skip Spokane?

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Mail-bomb murder case comes to close with 24-year-old sentenced to life in prison; Oil barrel explosions in Veradale burns warehouse

Mon., Jan. 12, 2026

From 1976: Ricky Anthony Young, 24, was sentenced to a life term for the mail-bomb murder of Judge James. J. Lawless in Pasco.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Proposed Valley shopping center hit snag. Bootlegger shot during arrest gets 1-day sentence

Sun., Jan. 11, 2026

From 1976: Developer James S. Black proposed a major shopping center in the Spokane Valley at Broadway and Sullivan Road but the Spokane County Planning Commission put the brakes on it.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Disturbing dumping at Salvation Army drop boxes spurred a new way of doing business

Sat., Jan. 10, 2026

From 1976: Some of the people who donated to the Salvation Army’s drop boxes were less than charitable.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Thieves were stealing cedar trees. Former KKK grand dragon in Spokane alleged he was cheated

Fri., Jan. 9, 2026

From 1976: A new breed of rustlers were prowling the backwoods of North Idaho: Cedar rustlers.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Man accused of killing mom, sister and nephews charged. Black club in Spokane targeted in Prohibition raid

Thu., Jan. 8, 2026

News >  Spokane

This day in history: A gunman killed four members of his family, including two children

Wed., Jan. 7, 2026

From 1976: Four people – including two children – were found dead in a home 5 miles south of Spokane, and a 27-year-old man was arrested for the shooting.

News >  Spokane

This day in history: Why a World War I veteran was denied membership in the American Legion. Plus, an angry crowd swarmed Spokane City Council

Tue., Jan. 6, 2026

From 1976: An angry crowd thronged the Spokane City Council meeting to defend what one man called “the last frontier of liberty” – a person’s home.