1. On March 29, 1889, the Territory of Washington was granted statehood by President Benjamin Harrison, making it the 42nd state of the United States.

2. On March 29, 1974, the city of Tacoma suffered a massive explosion at a liquid natural gas plant, resulting in the deaths of six employees and causing millions of dollars in damage.

3. In 1987, the State of Washington recognized the Makah Tribe’s right to hunt gray whales as a cultural and subsistence practice. The Makah Tribe successfully hunted a whale on March 29, 1999, marking the first time in over 70 years that a Native American tribe had legally hunted a whale in U.S. waters.

4. On March 29, 2005, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were entitled to all the rights and benefits of marriage under the state’s constitution, but stopped short of legalizing same-sex marriage.

5. In 2012, Washington became one of the first states in the U.S. to legalize recreational marijuana use, after voters approved Initiative 502 in a statewide ballot measure. March 29, 2013, marked the official implementation of the law, allowing residents over the age of 21 to purchase up to an ounce of marijuana from licensed stores.