1. In 1853, the Territory of Washington was created by an act of the U.S. Congress. The new territory was carved out of the Oregon Territory, and it encompassed the area that now makes up the states of Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming.

2. On March 28, 1907, the city of Seattle experienced a large fire that burned down dozens of buildings in the downtown area. The fire, which started in an office building, was fueled by strong winds and quickly spread to other nearby structures. Despite the efforts of firefighters, the blaze raged for several hours and caused significant damage to the city.

3. In 1915, the first transcontinental telephone call was made from Jekyll Island, Georgia, to Seattle, Washington. The call was made by Alexander Graham Bell, who was in Georgia at the time, and his assistant, Thomas Watson, who was in Seattle. The call marked a major milestone in the development of telecommunications in the United States.

4. On March 28, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound in Alaska, causing a massive oil spill that devastated the region's marine ecosystem. The spill, which released over 11 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, is considered one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

5. In 2013, the Washington State Senate voted to legalize same-sex marriage, making it the seventh state in the U.S. to do so. The law went into effect on December 6, 2012, and allowed same-sex couples to marry and enjoy the same legal rights and protections as opposite-sex couples.