Seattle, Washington

1889Great Seattle Fire: A cabinet shop fire destroyed 25 blocks of downtown. Seattle rebuilt in brick and stone, raising streets one to two stories and creating the underground tunnels that still exist.

1916Boeing Founded: William Boeing founded his airplane company on Lake Union. Boeing grew into the world's largest aerospace company and Seattle's dominant employer for decades.

1994Amazon Founded: Jeff Bezos founded Amazon as an online bookstore, eventually building one of the world's most valuable companies and transforming Seattle's economy and skyline.

1962World's Fair: The Century 21 Exposition drew 10 million visitors and produced the Space Needle, Monorail, and Seattle Center, putting the city on the international stage.

1991Grunge Music Revolution: Nirvana's 'Nevermind' and Pearl Jam's 'Ten' went global, making grunge the dominant rock genre and defining a generation.

1919Seattle General Strike: Over 65,000 workers walked off the job in America's first citywide general strike, terrifying the nation during the Red Scare.

1897Klondike Gold Rush: A steamship arrived carrying Klondike gold, making Seattle the outfitting point for prospectors and transforming it from a lumber town into a major city.

1971First Starbucks Opens: The first Starbucks at Pike Place Market began selling coffee beans, growing into the world's largest coffeehouse chain.

2001Nisqually Earthquake: A 6.8 magnitude earthquake caused $2 billion in damage, reminding Seattle of its seismic vulnerability.

1999WTO Protests: Tens of thousands disrupted the World Trade Organization meeting, forcing cancellation of the opening ceremony in the landmark 'Battle of Seattle.'.