(background voices)
♪♪
Wow, this is impressive.
We're here on the southern shores of Lake Union at
MOHAI, the Museum of History and Industry.
♪♪
For many years, this was the Naval Reserve Center
and the Armory for Navy uses here in Puget Sound country.
And if you go up on the fourth floor,
you'll see where they trained young sailors to be skippers of the ship.
Because there weren't enough ships to train on, so they used this building
as an actual training location.
♪♪
It was the first command of many young sailors.
♪♪
Many museums concentrate
on what happened after European settlers,
or Asian settlers came to the Pacific Northwest.
But MOHAI really concentrates on the people
that were here before that as well.
And their Native American stories, and the learning experience
about Native Americans, is excellent here in this facility.
♪♪
We have all heard
about the B-17s and the B-29s and all the Boeing-manufactured
airships during the war and then the commercial airplanes.
But behind me is B-1, Boeing's first aircraft,
that he wanted to prove to the world that not only could people
fly, it could fly commercially, it was an endeavor that would work.
And carrying the mail and carrying passengers as well.
An innovation that started in Seattle and remains in Seattle today.
And look here, this is Slo-mo Four, Seattle's favorite boat.
We all remember, or at least if you're my age you certainly remember,
that first Gold Cup race in Seattle.
(boat engines roar)
She came out from under the bridge
and the starting gun went off and those Detroit guys were flabbergasted.
She beat them hands down.
Slow-mo Four will always be my favorite hydroplane.
In some ways the story of Washington state is also a story about beer.
(beer fizzes)
There were breweries in Longview
and breweries in Vancouver and breweries in Tacoma and breweries in Seattle.
Maybe the two most famous ones were Olympia Brewery
and the Rainier Brewery in Seattle.
My great grandfather was a barrel maker that worked at the Rainier Brewery
for many, many years, and the big R on the wall back there brings back
lots of fond memories of the enjoyment we had on a Sunday afternoon,
sitting around the table enjoying a glass of Rainier beer.
♪♪
This facility has virtually millions
of artifacts, historic documents, pictures, you name it,
that talk about the story of our lives and the people that lived here before us.
If you want to learn about Seattle's history and have a great day,
come to MOHAI and see these wonderful exhibits.
It's not just a bunch of dusty old artifacts
or relics, but it's about innovation and invention.
And how to get young people involved in making new decisions
that will make our community even better than it is now.
♪♪
When it's all said and done, MOHAI, the Museum of History and Industry,
here on the south shores of Lake Union is one of my very favorite places.
♪♪