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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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38 results for: Cold War, 1947-1991

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Photograph

Students reading Variety Club's "World's Longest Letter," Seattle, March 15, 1985

In this image, students visiting Seattle's Seafirst Building look over the thousands of letters that make up the "World's Longest Letter." The completed 1,858 foot letter was part of Operation Peace Letter sponsored by the Variety Club of the Pacific Northwest, and was to be presented to the state congressional delegation in Washington, D. C. and then sent to the…
ID Number:2000.107.171.09.04
Date:1985
Image of Students contributing to
Photograph

Students contributing to "World's Longest Letter," Seattle, March 5, 1985

In this image 12-year-old Autumn Holmes signs her letter, the first to be entered into the computer by Steve Fleichmann as part of the thousands of letters that made up the "World's Longest Letter." The completed 1,858 foot letter was part of Operation Peace Letter sponsored by the Variety Club of the Pacific Northwest, and was to be presented to…
ID Number:2000.107.171.09.05
Date:1985
Photograph

Student reading contribution to "World's Longest Letter," Seattle, March 5, 1985

In this image 12-year-old Autumn Holmes reads her letter to Secretary of State George Shultz and Ambassador Andrei Gromyko at Seattle's Seafirst building. Autumn's letter was the first of thousands of letters that made up the "World's Longest Letter." The completed 1,858 foot letter was part of Operation Peace Letter sponsored by the Variety Club of the Pacific Northwest, and…
ID Number:2000.107.171.09.10
Date:1985
Image of Patrolman handing out Civil Defense evacuation cards, Seattle, May 20, 1955
Photograph

Patrolman handing out Civil Defense evacuation cards, Seattle, May 20, 1955

In this image Robert Vincent, Seattle Police Department patrolman, stands in the center of southbound traffic on Fremont Avenue North to hand out civil defense evacuation cards to motorists. At the time Fremont Avenue was designated a northbound evacuation route for the city. The Fremont Bridge is visible in the background. Signs in image: Salvation Army: Your Throw-Aways Make Work…
ID Number:2000.107.173.03.03
Date:1955
Image of Staff at work at Fort Lawton, Seattle, January 21, 1960
Photograph

Staff at work at Fort Lawton, Seattle, January 21, 1960

In 1897, the city of Seattle donated land on Magnolia Bluff to the US government to build a new Army post as part of a defense system for Puget Sound; this was designated as Fort Lawton in 1900. During most of its active service, the fort served as an embarkation station where troops gathered before being sent to duty in…
ID Number:2000.107.216.25.03
Date:1960
Image of Su Docekal at New Freeway Hall, Seattle, August 1993
Photograph

Su Docekal at New Freeway Hall, Seattle, August 1993

Su Docekal is a socialist and feminist activist who has been involved with Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party. In May and June 1993, Docekal and Adrienne Weller traveled to Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Germany, Poland, Russia, and Serbia and spoke to women about their experiences since the end of communist rule. Docekal and Weller reported that people of all…
ID Number:2000.107.19930825.1.10
Date:1993
Image of November 12th Coalition March poster, November 12, 1983
Poster

November 12th Coalition March poster, November 12, 1983

During the Reagan administration in the 1980s, U.S. foreign policy was rooted in winning the Cold War and dispelling communism. U.S support was given to right-wing governments in Central America and the Caribbean in an effort to dispel Soviet influence and leftist regimes. In 1983, the November 12 Coalition organized a day of protest to bring attention to the violations…
ID Number:2002.23.11.11
Date:1983
Image of Seattle Civil Defense evacuation routes pamphlet, 1955
Ephemera

Seattle Civil Defense evacuation routes pamphlet, 1955

The Civil Defense Evacuation Routes brochure pictured here, "Evacuate: Don't Sit Under The Mushroom," was distributed to Seattle and King County residents in 1955 by King County Civil Defense Department (now Department of Public Defense). At the time Seattle was considered a potential Major Target Area for an attack with a thermonuclear weapon (a hydrogen bomb). The planned evacuation routes…
ID Number:2010.14.1
Date:1955
Image of Goodwill Games Marathon poster, Seattle, July 21-22, 1990
Poster

Goodwill Games Marathon poster, Seattle, July 21-22, 1990

In the summer of 1980, the United States led a boycott of the Moscow Olympics to protest the USSR invasion of Afghanistan. In return, the Soviet Union and other eastern bloc nations boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In response, cable broadcasting magnate Ted Turner established the Goodwill Games to bring athletes together outside the Olympic structure. The…
ID Number:2017.23.3
Date:1990
Image of Operation Northwest Passage, Seattle Civil Defense Corps, July 10, 1951
Cartographic material

Operation Northwest Passage, Seattle Civil Defense Corps, July 10, 1951

World War II, which ended with the atomic bombing of Japan, was followed by the period known as the Cold War, a rivalry between the United States and the USSR. Fearing the spread of communism and the possibility of Russian nuclear attack, the U. S. organized and promoted an active nationwide civil defense program. The Seattle Civilian Defense Corps created…
ID Number:2018.3.1
Date:1951
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
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Phone: 206 324 1126
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