2015 Event Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen, resigns in the midst of a scandal in which the company confessed to installing software in its cars for the last 7 years in order to fool emissions test devices while violating U.S. clean air standards 2015 Event NASA is isolating a six-person team for a year within a small dome in Hawaii in order to simulate theoretical conditions of a Mars mission; the team will have no fresh air or fresh food, and a spacesuit must be worn when exiting the dome 2015 Event Iran will receive an S-300 air defense system from Russia; though the move won't violate U.N. sanctions against Iran, other nations currently in negotiation with Iran over nuclear issues have expressed concern 2015 Event Divers have retrieved one of two black boxes from Air Asia Flight 8501, which crashed on December 28th during its flight from Indonesia to Singapore; the second black box has been found nearby, but debris must first be moved in order to access it 2014 Event General Motors (GM) issues its 71st recall this year, affecting over 500,000 Cadillac SUVs, Saab SUVs and Chevy Spark cars that may have defective or loose parts; GM is also halting sales of GMC Canyons and Chevy Colorados due to air bag concerns 2014 Event Flight schedules will return to normal at Air France by September 30th after the pilots' union agreed to end a strike that began on September 15th; negotiations to settle contested issues are still ongoing 2014 Event President Barack Obama announces that the U.S. will increase its support for forces fighting the advances of the Islamic State militant group; air power, military training and other aid will be provided, but U.S. troops will not be sent to battle 2014 Event Iraqi troops and Shiite militia members, aided by U.S. air strikes, free the town of Amerli from Islamic State control; the rebel group seized the town two months ago, blocking access to food and supplies; rations were air-dropped after the victory 2014 Event U.S. air strikes, in combination with Kurdish forces, pushed back an assault by Islamic State militants upon Yazidi minorities trapped on Mt. Sinjar in Iraq; the action allowed thousands to escape 2014 Event U.S. President Barack Obama will allow the Pentagon to perform a limited number of air strikes in Iraq to thwart the advance of the Islamic State 2014 Event Russia counters sanctions by the U.S. and the European Union by banning all imports of dairy, fish, meat, fruit and vegetables; Ukrainian flights have also been prohibited from Russian air space 2014 Event U.S. President Barack Obama authorizes air strikes against Islamic State militants for situations in which the forces appear to threaten U.S. personnel; food drops were also carried out along the Syrian border to civilians trapped by the violence 2014 Event The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration removes its ban on air travel to Israel after concluding that Israel will be able to prevent risks to aircraft during the conflict with Hamas 2014 Event The Malaysian government has released the last transmission from Malaysian Air Flight 370; the data confirm that the plane was last located over the eastern Indian Ocean; over a year of mapping and search may be needed before remnants might be found 2014 Event Italian officials announce that many of the country's public assets will be sold in an effort to reduce the country's debt; plans to sell part of the nation's air traffic control and postal services have already been approved 2014 Event An Australian geophysical company has identified a large aluminum deposit that appeared around the time of the Malaysian Air Flight 370 disappearance on March 8th, suggesting that the plane may have crashed in the Bay of Bengal and not the Indian Ocean 2014 Event Flight recorder signals from the missing Malaysia Air jet are no longer detectable; the flight, which disappeared on March 8th, may be located in a zone of over 57,000 square km of water about 2,200 km to the northwest of Perth, Australia 2014 Event Beijing issues air pollution warnings, advising limited outdoor activity as particulate concentration (PM 2.5) measures 309, over 12 times the World Health Organization standard 2014 Event French satellite images confirm Chinese detection of potential debris from missing Malaysian Air Flight 370, which disappeared March 8th 2014 Event Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra will begin selling the e2o, an electric car, in Bhutan for about $11,300; vehicle exhaust is causing air pollution problems in Bhutan that threaten the country's tourist-dependent economy 2014 Event Indonesian volcano Mount Sinabung erupts on Sumatra Island, shooting toxic clouds of ash into the air; 15 people die, and the search continues for more victims and survivors 2014 Event The Midwest experiences life threateningly low temperatures and forces over 2,500 flight cancellations; the tunnel of arctic air called the "polar vortex" should head eastward during the week 2014 Event Record-low temperatures are expected in the U.S. due to a 'polar vortex'; forecasters anticipate this tunnel of cold air funneling all the way from the North Pole to the U.S. could bring temperatures as low as 15 degrees in Chicago and 25 below zero in Fargo, North Dakota 2013 Event An error on the Delta Air Lines website allows thousands of customers to buy tickets for super-low fares, some 90% below regular ticket prices; Delta takes responsibility for the error, and will honor ticket purchases as well as frequent flier miles earned on the reduced-fare flights 2013 Event After the People's Republic of China expands its air zone, South Korea responds by expand its air defense zone, causing rising tensions in the region 2013 Event The iPad Air and Mavericks, the latest version of the OS X is introduced by Apple 2013 Event The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, completed his last shift as a search and rescue helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force; he will now focus on Royal and community work 2013 Event New Zealand's most active volcano - the White Islands' Whakaari, erupts, sending ash 4 kilometres into the air 2013 Event The biggest version of Boeing's Dreamliner plane, the 787-10, debuts at the Paris Air show; over 100 orders, worth over $30 billion, are placed 2013 Event Bankrupt carrier, American Airlines and U.S. Airways merge, forming the world's largest air carrier, to trade under the name, American Airlines 2013 Event Turkey's Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan responds to air strikes on Syria, saying Israel's government is waging 'state terrorism' 2013 Event The air pollution in Beijing reaches levels deemed hazardous to human health 2012 Event In an attempt to restore profitability, Air France announces plans to cut over 5,000 jobs by the end of 2013 2012 Event After a classified 469-day orbital mission, the U.S. air force's robotic Boeing X-37-B spaceplane returns to Earth 2012 Event The Government of Fiji takes over controlling interest in Australia's Qantas airline subsidiary Air Pacific 2012 Event Eleven people are killed when their hot air balloon collides with a power line and crashes near Carterton, New Zealand 2011 Event First Air fails in an attempt to land a Boeing 737 in poor conditions; 12 of 15 people die after the plane crashes near Canada's Resolute Bay 2011 Event The Republic of Korea announces plans to conduct midair refueling drills with the U.S. Air Force in 2011 2011 Event The 2011 Paris Air Show features the international debut of the new Boeing 747-8 2010 Event Qantas, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Air France and seven other carriers were fined millions of euros for fixing the price of air cargo between 1999 and 2006 2010 Event Five Palestinians are wounded when Israel conducts four air raids in the Gaza Strip, a response to a fourth rocket attack in southern Israel from Gaza 2010 Event U.S. military forces use an air strike to kill an al-Qaeda leader responsible for planning suicide bombings 2010 Event Russia announces its plan to sell Iran S-300 ground-to-air missiles, claiming that new U.N. sanctions do not cover stationary air defense weaponry 2010 Event The transcript of the flight data recorders from the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash that killed 96 Polish officials and intellectuals is published 2010 Event Air India Express Flight 812 crashes near Mangalore International Airport; eight passengers survive and 158 perish 2010 Event After new allegations of torture, the International Committee of the Red Cross reports a second U.S. secret prison exists at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan 2010 Event United and Continental air lines announce that the two American companies will merge, creating the world's largest airline 2010 Event Planes return to the air in Germany, France and Italy after being grounded by ash clouds from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano 2010 Event Ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano drifts towards Europe, causing air traffic to close over Northern Norway 2010 Event Six Venezuelan cable television channels are taken off the air by the Venezuelan government after refusing to transmit government messages 2009 Event En route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Paris, Air France Flight 447 crashes into the Atlantic ocean, killing all 228 on board 2008 Event Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines merge 2003 Event Air Algrie flight 6289 crashes at Tamanrasset Airport in Alegeria, killing 103 2002 Death "General Benjamin O. Davis, Jr", Air Force General, first black general in the Air Force, dies at 89 2002 Event Air China flight 129 crashes into a mountain near Pusan, South Korea killing 128 2002 Event Iran Air Tours flight 956 crashes into a mountain in Iran killing 119 2000 Event Gulf Air flight 72 crashes near Bahrain, killing 143 2000 Event Air Philippines flight 541 crashes into a hill near Davao, killing 131 1998 Death Buddy the Wonder Dog, dog (Air Bud), dies of cancer at 9 1997 Death Anatoli Boukreev, born in Russia, Anatolij Nikolaevich Bukreev, climber, mountaineer, made seven, 8,000-metre peaks without supplemental oxygen, died in avalanche on Annapurna, chronicled in books 'Into Thin Air', 'The Climb', dies at 39 1997 Event Nancy Kerring and Tonya Harding pre-record a show to air on FOX on Feb 5 1997 Death Jean-Claude Lauzon, director/writer (Leola), dies in air crash at 43 1997 Event Korean Air 747 with 331 aboard crashes in Guam, 29 survive 1996 Death Hubert William Dean, air armaments specialist, dies at 84 1995 Death Jacques Lefebvre, Belgian air force gen, commits suicide at 64 1995 Event American Express Travel begins charging for domestic air tickets 1995 Event Steve Fossett completes 1st air balloon over Pacific Ocean (9600 km) 1995 Event Belgium's TV channel VT4 goes on the air 1995 Event Belgium's TV channel 2 in Flanders goes on the air 1995 Death Mansour Satari, Brigadier-General and commandant (Iran Air Force), dies at 46 1995 Death Eduardo Mata, Mexican conductor, dies in air crash at 52 1994 Event French commando's terminate Air France hijacking in Marseille 1994 Event 4 Moslem fundamentalists capture Air France pilot in Algiers 1994 Event U.S. Air Boeing 737 crashes at Pittsburgh Airport, killing all 132 on board 1994 Event Royal Air Maroc ATR-42 crash down at Agadir, 44 killed 1994 Event Turkish air force bombs Kurds, struggle in Iraq, 70 killed 1994 Event 37 dies in U.S. Air DC-9 crash in NC 1994 Event U.S. Air DC-9 crash in North Carolina, 37 killed 1994 Event Air Ivory Fokker's-27 crashes at Abidjan (16 killed/1 lives) 1994 Event WIIZ (98.7) FM goes off the air 1994 Event North-Yemen air force bombs Aden South Yemen 1993 Event Airbus A310 of Air Nigeria hijacked, 1 dead 1993 Death Dionisio Herrero, Spanish air force general, murdered 1993 Death Dionisio Herrero, Spanish air force general, murdered at 63 1993 Death James H Doolittle, U.S. air force general (Tokyo 1942), dies at 96 1993 Event Angolese air force bombs Huambo 1993 Death Peter Bierdrager, Dutch Fokker's-test pilot, dies in air crash 1992 Event WNew AM (1130) New York City resigns air, replaced by WBBR 1992 Event NBC announces that "Cheers" will go off the air in May, 1993 1992 Event U.S. Air goes on strike 1992 Death Paul E Garber, 1st curator (National Air and Space Museum), dies at 93 1992 Event USA/U.S.S.R. Around World Air Race begins at Santa Monica 1992 Event Round World Air Race begins in Paris 1992 Event 1st Berlin Air Show in 60 years 1992 Death Mike Tyrell [Red Baron], British air acrobat, dies in an accident 1992 Event Trump Shuttle becomes U.S. Air Shuttle 1992 Event U.S. Air New York to Cleveland crashes on take off at LaGuardia, 27 die 1991 Death Leigh Watson, U.S. aviation pioneer/air force general, dies at 93 1991 Event U.S. begins air drops to Kurd refugees in Northern Iraq 1991 Event U.S. bombs Iraqi air raid shelter, killing 334 1991 Event U.S. Air and Skywest Fairchild jet collide at LA Airport killing 32 1991 Death Lillian Bond, actress (Air Mail, Pick-up, Blond Cheat), dies at 83 1990 Event Pentagon warns Saddam that U.S. air power is ready to attack on 1/15 1990 Event President Bush signs Clear Air Act of 1990 1990 Death Curtis Lemay, nicknamed Old Iron Pants, General, United States Air Force, running mate for George Wallace, 1968, designed World War II strategic bombing campaign, led Berlin airlift, led firebombing of Tokyo, 22 medals and decorations, dies at age 83 1990 Event U.N. Security Council vote 14-1 to impose air embargo against Iraq 1990 Event Radio Kuwait resigns air, due to Iraqi invasion 1990 Event NBC decides to air episodes of "Quantum Leap" for 5 straight days 1990 Death Arthur Kennedy, actor (Air Force), dies of a brain tumor at 76 1989 Birthday Ross Bagley, actor, Nicky-Fresh Prince Of Bel Air 1989 Event U.S. Air overshoots runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, 2 people die 1988 Event 70 killed in crash of 3 Italian AF fighters at air show in Germany 1988 Event LIRR says Penn station will get air conditioning in 1991 1987 Event Korean Air jetliner disappears off Burma, all 115 lost 1987 Event 10 die as Air Force jet crashed into a Ramada Inn near Indianapolis 1987 Event Sri Lanka Air Force bomb Tamil, 100s killed 1987 Birthday Milton J. Cross, born in New York City, TV announcer, Met Opera Auditions of the Air 1987 Birthday Naya Rivera, actress, Cindy-Fresh Prince of Bel Air 1986 Death Samora Machel, president of Mozambique, dies in air crash at 53 1986 Event Air Supply guitarist Graham Russell weds Jodi Varble 1986 Event Air Lanka crashes, killing 22 1986 Event U.S. air raids Libya, responding to La Belle disco, Berlin bombing 1986 Event Supreme Court rules Air Force could ban wearing of yarmulkes 1986 Event Texas Air buys Eastern Airlines for $676 million 1986 Event French air force bombs Ouadi Doum airport in Chad 1985 Event 248 U.S. soldiers and 8 crew members die in Arrow Air charter crash 1985 Event Israeli air raid on PLO-headquarter at Tunis, 68 killed 1985 Event Iraqi air raid on Iran oil-island Kharg 1985 Event Bomb destroys Air India Boeing 747 in air near Ireland, 329 die 1984 Event Government orders air bags or seat belts would be required in cars by 1989 1984 Event Iraq resumes air attack on Iran 1983 Event Toilet catches fire on Air Canada's DC-9, 23 die at Cincinnati 1983 Event Radio Moscow announcer Vladimir Danchev praises Afghanistan Muslims standing up to Russia; he is removed from the air 1982 Event Heavy Israeli air bombardment on Beirut 1982 Death Randy Rhoads, rocker, guitarist, songwriter, producer, studied classical guitar, member of Quiet Riot, played with Ozzy Ozbourne, dies in an air crash at 25 1982 Event Air Florida 737 took off in a snowstorm, crashes into 14th St. Bridge in Washington, D.C., and falls into Potomac River, killing 78 1981 Event Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization decertified 1981 Event Enterprise Radio (all sports) resigns air 1981 Event President Regan fires 11,500 striking air traffic controllers 1981 Event 13,000 Air Traffic Controllers (PATCO) begin their strike 1981 Death Jaime Roldos Aguilera, President of Ecuador, dies in air crash 1981 Event FCC frees stations to air as many commercials an hour as they wish 1980 Death Francisco Sa Carneiro, Prime Minister of Portugal 1980, dies in air crash 1979 Event Air New Zealand DC-10 crashes into Mount Erebus on Antarctica kills 257 1979 Event Royal Air force receives 1st F-16 1979 Birthday Tatyana M Ali, New York City, actress, Sesame St, Fresh Prince of Bel Air 1978 Event 1st gay theme telefilm - Matlovich vs U.S. Air Force 1978 Event Korean Air Lines Boeing 707, fired on by Soviets, crashes in Russia 1978 Death Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr., retired Air Force general, dies at 58 1978 Event Air India B747 explodes near Bombay killing 213 1977 Death Steve Gaines, rock guitarist (Lynyrd Skynyrd), dies in air crash 1977 Birthday JoAnn Sevin, born in Dubois, Pennsylvania, air pistol 1996 Olympics 1976 Event Eldon Joersz and Geo Morgan set world air speed record of 3,530 kph 1976 Birthday Rebecca Snyder, born in Grand Junction, Colorado, air pistol 1996 Olympics 1976 Event Raid on Entebbe-Israel rescues 229 Air France passengers 1976 Event Israel launches rescue of 103 Air France crew and passengers being held at Entebbe Airport in Uganda by pro-Palestinian hijackers 1976 Event 1st woman was admitted to Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs Colo 1976 Event Air France Airbus hijacked in Germany to Uganda 1976 Death Bobby Hackett, jazz cornetist/orchestral leader (Air time '57), dies at 61 1975 Event Gunsmoke resigns the air 1974 Event Air Force fires 1st ICBM 1974 Death Chris Chubbock, newscaster, shoots self on air 1974 Event World's worst air disaster, Turkish DC-10 crashes in Paris (346 die) 1974 Birthday Nancy Napolski, Hinsdale Idaho, air rifle 1996 Olympics 1973 Birthday Tyra Banks, model/actress, Higher Learning, Fresh Prince of Bel Air 1973 Event U.S. Air Arena opens in Landover Maryland, Bullets beat Seattle, 98-96 1973 Event Ozark AL plane knocked out of air by lightning, St. Louis-36 die 1973 Event At Paris air show, Tupolev 144, a Soviet supersonic airliner, crashes 1973 Event Jordan Air crash at Kano, Nigeria kills 176 Moslem pilgrims 1972 Event Dutch air force drives away Russian Tupolev-bomber 1972 Event Antique F86 Sabrejet fails to takeoff at air show, kills 22 1972 Event 1st hot air balloon flight over Alps 1972 Event Wake Island becomes unincorporated territory of U.S., U.S. Air Force 1971 Event Air West filght 706 collides with Navy Phantom jet over LA, 50 die 1971 Death Edith Day, actress (Romance of Air), dies at 75 1971 Event National Emergency Center erroneously orders U.S. radio and TV stations to go off the air. Mistake wasn't resolved for 30 minutes 1970 Event Air Canada DC-8 crashes 7 miles from Toronto's airport killing 109 1969 Death Russ Bender, actor and writer (Air Patrol, Strangler), dies at 59 1968 Event Commercial air travel begins between U.S. and U.S.S.R. 1968 Death John Ridgely, actor (Air Force, Possessed, Big Sleep), dies at 58 1967 Event Radio Scotland and Radio Swinging Holland go off the air 1967 Event Chinese army/air force/fleet repress uprising in Wuhan City 1967 Event 1st air conditioned New York City subway car (R-38 on the F line) 1967 Death Arthur W. Tedder of Glenguin, British air marshal (WW II), dies at 76 1967 Event Shortwave Radio New York Worldwide goes back on the air after a week off 1966 Event Bombay-New York Air India flight crashes into Mont Blanc (Switzerland), 117 die 1966 Event 75 MPH air currents causes BOAC 707 crash into Mount Fuji, 124 die 1964 Death Theodore C Freeman, astronaut, dies at 34 in a T-38 jet air crash 1964 Event Turkey begins air attack on Greek-Cypriots 1964 Death Jim Reeves, U.S. country singer, dies in air crash at 39 1964 Event Dick Weber rolls highest bowling game in air (Boeing 707) 1963 Event Worst Canadian air disaster kills 118 in Montreal 1963 Event French air force gets 1st nuclear weapons 1962 Event Caribbean Air Transport Me NV (CLTM Airlines) forms 1962 Event Air France Boeing 707 crashes on takeoff from Paris, kills 130 1962 Birthday Alex Tripolski, born in Israel, Men's Shooting 50M air pistol, Olympics 1996 1961 Death Dag Hammarskjold, United Nations Secretary General, dies in an air crash over Congo at 56 1961 Death Max Hymans, WW II resistance fighter/Head of Air France, dies at 60 1960 Birthday Mark Sanford, born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, politician, Republican, 115th Governor of South Carolina, U.S. Air Force Reserve medical administration officer 1959 Event 1st U.S. Air Force Academy graduation 1959 Event 1st class graduates from Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo 1959 Event Cessna lands in Las Vegas after 65 d without landing (refuels in air) 1958 Event Air Force Academy opens in Colorado Springs, Colo 1958 Birthday Robert Foth, born in Buffalo, New York, air rifle, Olympics-1988, 92, 96 1958 Event U.S. and Canada form North American Air Defense Command (NORAD) 1958 Event Flemish Open air museum opens in Bokrijk 1958 Event Indonesian air force bombs Padang, Sumatra/Menado, Celebes 1958 Death Michael Todd, film magnate, killed in an New Mexico air crash 1958 Event 7 members on Manchester United football team die in an air crash 1958 Birthday Anatoli Boukreev, born in Russia, Anatolij Nikolaevich Bukreev, climber, mountaineer, made seven, 8,000-metre peaks without supplemental oxygen, died in avalanche on Annapurna, chronicled in books 'Into Thin Air', 'The Climb' 1957 Birthday David Moyse, Adelaide Australia, rock vocalist, Air Supply 1956 Event Peter Twiss sets new world air record 1,132 mph (1,823 kph) 1956 Birthday Janet Hubert-Whitten, actress, Vivian Banks-Fresh Prince of Bel Air 1956 Death Norman Kerry, actor (Air Eagles, Phantom of Opera), dies at 61 1955 Event U.S. air patrol plane shot down above Bering sea 1955 Event U.S. Air Force unveils self-guided missile 1954 Event Air Force One, 1st U.S. Presidential airplane, christened 1954 Event U.S. Air Force Academy forms 1954 Event U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, established 1953 Event American Airlines begins 1st regular coml NY-LA air service 1953 Event "Bob and Ray Show," TV Variety; last air on NBC 1953 Birthday Judi Spiers, born in Britain, Judith Marilyn Spiers, British radio and television presenter, hosted Mr TSW and Miss TSW local beauty contests for new south-west station TSW, appeared in six editions of daytime chat show, presented on Open Air, a BBC1 access television program, in 1986, and Pebble Mill program 1992- 1995, presenter, BBC Radio Devon since 2005 1952 Birthday Russell Hitchcock, born in Melbourne, Australia, rock vocalist, Air Supply 1952 Death John Garfield, actor (Juarez, Air Force), dies at 39 1951 Event "Music in the Air" closes at Ziegfeld Theater New York City after 56 performances 1951 Event "Music in the Air" opens at Ziegfeld Theater New York City for 56 performances 1951 Event Air raid on Chinese positions at Yalu River 1951 Birthday Rex Goh, rock guitarist, Air Supply 1951 Birthday Ralph Cooper, born in Australia, drummer, Air Supply-All Out of Love 1950 Event North Koreans troop reach Seoul, United Nations asks members to aid South Korea, Truman orders Air Force and Navy into Korean conflict 1950 Event Dutch Air Force base Tjililitan given to Indonesia 1950 Event 2 Air France DC-4s crash near Bahrain, about 100 die 1950 Birthday Graham Russell, Melbourne Australia, rock vocalist, Air Supply 1949 Birthday David Green, Melbourne Australia, rock bassist, Air Supply 1949 Event Air crash at Turijn (whole Torino-soccer team survives) 1948 Death Andre Serot, colonel/commandant of French air force (WW II), dies 1948 Event 1st air bombing of Jerusalem 1948 Birthday Frank Estersmith, born in Australia, rocker, Air Supply 1948 Event 1st use of Israeli Air Force and 1st war victory, defeating Syrian army 1948 Event 1st air squadron of jets aboard a carrier 1947 Event 1st helicopter air mail and express service 1947 Event USAF (U.S. Air Force) forms 1947 Event U.S. Air Force, Navy and War Department form U.S. Department of Defense 1947 Event 1st (U.S. Navy) air squadron of jets, Quonset Point, Rhode Island 1947 Event 1st round-the-world civil air service leaves New York City 1947 Death Gustav Adolf, crown prince of Sweden, dies in air crash 1947 Birthday Terry Sylvester, rocker, Hollies-You are the Air that I Breathe 1945 Event New world air speed record 606 mph (975 kph) set by HJ Wilson of RAF 1945 Event Chinese counter attack at Tsjangte, supports by 14th air fleet 1945 Event Allied air raid on Surabaja, Java 1945 Event U.S. aircraft carrier Franklin heavy damaged in Japanese air raid 1945 Event 8th Air Force bombs Dresden 1945 Event 8th Air Force bombs Dresden 1945 Event Very heavy bombing on Berlin by 8th U.S. Air Force 1945 Event 8th Air Force bombs Dresden 1945 Event Allied air attack on Goch/Kleef/Kalkar/Reichswald 1945 Event 8th Air Force bombs Magdeburg/Chemnitz 1945 Event Heavy U.S. air raid on Okinawa 1945 Event Allied air raid on Neurenberg 1945 Event German air raid on allied airports at Eindhoven/Saint-Trond/Brussels 1944 Event U.S. air raid on Japanese battleships/cruisers in Sibuya Sea: Musashi sinks 1944 Event U.S. air raid on Ambon 1944 Event Allied air raid on Maastricht, 80+ killed 1944 Event Allied air raid on train in North Netherlands, 32 killed 1944 Event U.S. air raid on Palembang 1944 Event Allied air force bomb Germany for 6 hours 1944 Event Flying Fortresses of U.S. 8th Air Force attack Leipzig/Dessau 1944 Event Japanese aircraft carrier Hijo sinks by U.S. air attack 1944 Event Liberators of U.S. 8th Air Force attack Gotha Russelsheim/Eisenach 1944 Event U.S. 15th Air Force attacks Friedrichshaven Memmingen 1944 Event 1,200+ 8th Air Force bombers bomb targets in SW Germany 1944 Event 500 15th Air Force Liberators/Flying Fortresses bomb Munich vicinity 1944 Event Allies air raid railways at Vaires Paris 1944 Event British air raid on German convoy SW of Helgoland 1944 Event Heavy air raid on U.S. fleet at Guam "Turkey Shoot" 1944 Birthday Albert Hammond, born in London, England, rocker, musician, songwriter, producer, collaborated with Mike Hazelwood on The Air That I Breathe for the Hollies, wrote hits for Tina Turner 1944 Event Allied air raid on Surabaja, Java 1944 Event 900+ 8th Air Force bombers attack Zwikau, Bohlen and Brux 1944 Event General Eisenhower becomes head commander of allied air fleet 1944 Death O C Wingate, British general-major (Burma), dies in air crash 1944 Event 600+ 8th Air Force bombers attack Berlin 1944 Event U.S. 8th Air Force bombs Enschede, Arnhem and Nijmegen by mistake/800+ die 1944 Event Air Force announces production of 1st U.S. jet fighter, the Bell P-59 1943 Birthday Tony Hicks, rocker, Hollies-The Air That I Breathe 1943 Event RAF begins air bombing of Berlin 1943 Event U.S. air raid on Rabaul 1943 Event U.S. 8th Air Force loses 60 B-17 during assault on Schweinfurt 1943 Event U.S. air raid on Wake 1943 Event Load of "ammunition in transit" explodes at Norfolk Naval Air Station 1943 Event U.S. air raid on German bases at Gilze-Rijen/Vlissingen 1943 Death Hans Jeschonnek, German air force general/chief-staff, commits suicide 1943 Event U.S. 8th Air Force loses 60 B-17O at attack on Regensburg/Schweinfurt 1943 Event 1st allied air raid on Borneo 1943 Event 500 allied air forces raid Rome during WW II 1943 Event British air raid sinks U-435 1943 Event British air raid sinks U-232 1943 Event Lieutenant Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg seriously wounded at allied air raid 1943 Event Elsie S. Ott becomes 1st woman awarded U.S. Air Force Medal 1943 Event Women's camp Tamtui on Ambon (Moluccas) hit by allied air raid 1943 Event 1st U.S. air attack on Germany (Wilhelmshafen) 1943 Event 1st U.S. air raid on Ambon 1942 Event Allies air attack on Den Helder 1942 Event 1st US/8th Air Force bombs Europe 1942 Event U.S. air offensive against nazi-Germany begins 1942 Event Aircraft carrier Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack at Coral Sea 1942 Event Battle of Coral Sea begun (1st sea battle fought solely in air) 1942 Event Allied air raid on harbor city Kupang Timor 1942 Event 1st Japanese air raid on Java 1942 Event Japanese air raid on Rabaul, New Britain 1942 Event Japanese air raid on Rabaul New Britain 1942 Event Japanese air raid on Rabaul New Britain 1941 Event Futshida's air fleet passes coastline of Oahu 1941 Event U.S. Civil Air Patrol (CAP) organizes 1941 Death Earnest Udet, German general/head air pioneer, commits suicide 1941 Event British air attack on Berlin, Mannheim and Ruhrgebied 1941 Event German air raid on Russian naval base Kronstadt (battleship Marat sinks) 1941 Event Germans made their last major air attack on Britain 1941 Event Last great German air attack on Great Britain (Birmingham) 1941 Event German air raid on Liverpool 1941 Event 1st U.S. commercial FM radio station goes on the air, Nashville, Tennessee 1941 Event Arthur T "Bomber" Harris becomes British Air Marshal 1941 Event War Department forms 1st Army Air Corps squadron for black cadets 1941 Event British Air Marshal Richard Peirse resigns 1941 Event Canada and U.S. acquire air bases in Newfoundland (99 yr lease) 1940 Event British air raid on Mannheim 1940 Event German air raid on Birmingham fails 1940 Event German air raid on Birmingham fails 1940 Event British air attack destroys half of Italian fleet 1940 Event 1st U.S. air raid shelter, Fleetwood, Pa 1940 Event Heavy German air raid on London, 400 killed 1940 Event German Air Force blitz London for 1st of 57 consecutive nights 1940 Event British Prime Minister Churchill says of Royal Air Force, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" 1940 Event Germany air attack on South England (Battle of Britain begins) 1940 Event German air raid on British harbors Portland/Weymouth 1940 Event Battle of Britain began as Germany launches air attacks 1940 Event "Blitz" all-night air raid by German bombers on London begins 1940 Event Battle of Britain began as Nazi forces attacked by air, 114 days 1940 Event Nazi occupiers kick Jews out of Dutch air guard 1940 Birthday Frank Lorenzo, airline executive, Continental, Texas Air, Eastern 1940 Event Failed British air raid on German base at Sylt 1940 Event German air raid on British fleet base Scapa Flow 1940 Event U.S. Air Defense Command forms at Mitchel Field, LI, New York 1940 Event German air force sinks 2 German destroyers, killing 578 1939 Event Russian air and ground attack against Finnish positions near Summa 1939 Event Russian air raid on Helsinki 1939 Event 1st air conditioned automobile (Packard) exhibited, Chicago, Ill 1939 Event 1st jet plane, Heinkel He 178, demonstrated to German Air Ministry 1939 Event 1st German air attack on Great Britain in WW II 1939 Event Pan Am opens southern route transatlantic air service, Dixie Clipper 1939 Event Pan Am begins transatlantic passenger and air mail service 1937 Event Arturo Toscanini conducts 1st Symphony of the Air over NBC Radio 1937 Birthday Michael Simmons, Air Marshal, British Ministry of Defense 1937 Death Clem Sohn, air show performer dies at 26 when his chute fails to open 1937 Event Millionaire Howard Hughes sets transcontinental air record (7h28m25s) 1937 Event U.S. Army Air Corps physiological research laboratory completed, Ohio 1936 Event German air force begins bombing of Madrid 1936 Event 1st transatlantic round-trip air flight 1936 Event 1st British air hostess (Daphne Kearley) flight to France 1936 Event WOS-AM in Jefferson City Missouri goes off the air 1936 Event 1st rocket air mail flight, Greenwood Lake, New York 1935 Birthday Brendan Jackson, British air marshal 1935 Birthday Kenneth Hayr, air marshal 1935 Event Hermann Goering officially creates German Air Force, the Luftwaffe 1934 Event Churchill tells Premier Baldwin not to under estimate German air power 1934 Event "Uiver" returns from Schiphol in London-Melbourne air race 1934 Event Adolph Hitler expands German army and Navy and creates an air force, violating Treaty of Versailles 1934 Death Max Pallenberg, Austria actor (Brave Suender), dies in air crash at 56 1934 Event WOQ-AM in Kansas City Missouri goes off the air 1934 Event Black-McKeller Bill passes causes Bill Boeing empire to break up into Boeing United Aircraft [Technologies] and United Air Lines 1934 Event U.S. contract air mail service canceled, replaced by U.S. Army for 6 months 1933 Event Air France forms 1933 Event WNJ-AM in Newark New Jersey goes off the air 1933 Event Winston Churchill wants to boost air defense 1932 Birthday Michael Knight, air chief marshall/British leader, NATO 1932 Event Air force's Marmaduke Brutal becomes leader of revolutionary junta 1930 Event 1st woman pilot on a transcontinental air flight Miss Ruth Nichols (Mineola, New York to California), in a Lockheed-Vega, took 7 days 1930 Event 1st scheduled transcontinental air service began 1930 Birthday Julius LaRosa, born in Brooklyn, New York, singer, fired by Arthur Godfrey on the air 1929 Event WOWO-AM, Indiana returns to air, 1 day after transmitter burns down 1929 Birthday Johan N Block, aviation pioneer, Martinair/Transavia/Air Holland 1927 Event Lindburgh lands in Paris, after 1st solo air crossing of Atlantic 1926 Event Air Commerce Act passes 1926 Event Congress passes Air Commerce Act, licensing of pilots and planes 1926 Event French air force bombs Damascus, Syria 1926 Event Airship Norge leaves Spitsbergen for 1st air crossing of Arctic Ocean 1926 Event Contract air mail service begins in U.S. 1925 Event 1st film shown on an British Air flight 1924 Birthday David Atkinson, British air marshal 1922 Birthday Larry Osborne, navigator air traffic controller/supply specialist 1921 Death John B Dunlop, Scottish inventor air tire (Dunlop Rubber), dies at 81 1921 Event Prince Henry opens Rotterdam-Amsterdam-Bremen-Hamburg air route 1921 Event 1st U.S. transcontinental air mail flight arrives in New York City from San Francisco 1921 Birthday B M Ducat-Amos, Air Commandant/director, RAF Nursing Service 1920 Event KDKA (Pittsburgh) goes on air as 1st commercial radio station 1920 Event U.S. Air Mail service begins (New York City to San Francisco) 1920 Event Detroit radio station is 1st to broadcast a news program on the air 1920 Birthday Ruthven Wade, British Air Chief marshal 1920 Event Royal Air Force holds an air display at Hendon, England 1920 Event 1st U.S. coast guard air station established (Morehead City NC) 1919 Event 1st transcontinental air race ends 1919 Event 1st air flight over a major body of water in Australia (Harry Butler) 1919 Event Queen Wilhelmina opens 1st Air Fair in Amsterdam 1919 Event 1st nonstop air crossing of Atlantic (Alcock and Brown) 1919 Birthday Charles Pringle, British air marshal 1919 Event 1st U.S. air passenger service starts 1919 Event 1st jump with Army Air Corp (rip-cord type) parachute (Les Irvin) 1919 Birthday Michael Lyne, British air Vice-marshal 1919 Event 1st international air mail service from U.S., Seattle-Victoria, British Columbia 1919 Birthday Alex Nicol, Ossining, New York, actor, Man From Laramie, Air Cadet 1918 Birthday Denis Smallwood, British air chief marshal 1918 Event England's Royal Flying Corps replaced by Royal Air Force 1917 Event Dutch Naval Air Force forms (MLD) 1917 Event 1e German air attack on England, 100+ killed in East-London 1917 Death Ferdinand von Zeppelin, Dutch count/air pioneer, dies at 78 1916 Event 1st (German) air attack on London 1916 Birthday John Lapsley, British air marshal 1915 Birthday Colin Purdie Kelly, U.S., 1st U.S. air hero, during WW II 1915 Event 1st Zeppelin air raid over England 1915 Event An LZ-38 Zeppelin makes an air raid on London 1915 Birthday Bobby Hackett, born in Providence, Rhode Island, trumpeteer/orchestral leader, Air Time '57 1914 Birthday Charles Drake, Bayside New York City, actor, Air Force, Glenn Miller Story 1914 Event U.S. Army air service 1st comes into being, in Signal Corps 1914 Event 1st air flight out of sight of land, Scotland to Norway 1914 Event W. H. Carrier patents air conditioner 1913 Event Lt Peter Nestrov, of Imperial Russian Air Service, performs a loop in a monoplane at Kiev (1st aerobatic maneuver in an airplane) 1913 Birthday Bernard Chacksfield, Air Vice-Marshal 1913 Birthday Ernest Sidey, British air marshal 1912 Birthday Harold Maguire, British air marshal 1912 Birthday John Garfield, born in New York City, actor, Air Force, Destination: Tokyo, Juarez 1912 Birthday Hubert William Dean, air armaments specialist 1911 Event Earl Ovington becomes 1st air mail pilot 1911 Birthday Florence Rice, born in Cleveland, Ohio, actress, Double Wedding, Riding on Air 1911 Event 1st rescue of an air passenger by a ship, near Havana, Cuba 1911 Event SF has it's 1st air meet 1910 Event 1st aircraft air display held (Hendon, England) 1910 Event 1st night air flight (Claude Grahame-White, England) 1910 Event 1st international air meet in U.S. held, in LA 1909 Birthday Jean Batten, New Zealand air pioneer, 1st woman to fly solo England to Australia 1909 Birthday John Ridgely, born in Chicago, Illinois, actor, Northern Pursuit, Air Force 1909 Event World's 1st air race held in Rheims France. Glenn Curtiss (USA) wins 1909 Birthday Maurice Heath, air marshal 1909 Event Army Air Corps formed as Army takes 1st delivery from Wright Brothers 1909 Event 1st French air show, Concours d'Avation opens 1908 Death Thomas E Selfridge, earlier U.S. aviator, 1st to die in an air crash 1907 Birthday Paterson Fraser, British air marshal 1907 Event World's 1st air force established in the U.S. Army 1907 Birthday Valston Hancock, British air marshal 1906 Birthday Eduard Ludwig, German architect, Air Bridge monument Berlin 1906 Birthday Curtis E Le May, air force general/Vice Presidential candidate 1906 Birthday Curtis Lemay, born in Columbus, Ohio, nicknamed Old Iron Pants, General, United States Air Force, running mate for George Wallace, 1968, designed World War II strategic bombing campaign, led Berlin airlift, led firebombing of Tokyo, 22 medals and decorations 1906 Birthday Denis Barnett, British air chief marshal 1906 Birthday Willa B Brown, Coffey, U.S. black air pioneer, NAAA 1904 Birthday Ralph Bellamy, born in Chicago, actor, Air Mail, Dive Bomber, Trading Places 1903 Birthday Geoffrey Worthington, Air vice-marshall 1902 Birthday Walter Dawson, British Air Chief marshall 1899 Birthday Paul E Garber, U.S. founder/1st curator of National Air and Space Museum 1895 Birthday John Knudsen Northrop, aircraft designer, Northrop Air 1895 Birthday John Ford, Maine, director, Stagecoach, Air Mail, Quiet Man 1894 Birthday Walter Mittelholzer, Swiss aviation pioneer, Swiss Air 1892 Birthday Edmond Thieffry, Belgian WW I pilot/air pioneer 1892 Birthday Charles Delaney, New York City, actor, Air Police, Lonesome Trail 1890 Birthday Arthur W. Tedder of Glenguin, British air marshal, WW II 1886 Birthday Henry "Hap" Arnold, commanding general, U.S. Army Air Force, WW II 1880 Event Compressed air accident kills 20 workers on Hudson River tunnel, New York 1878 Birthday Harry Carey Sr, born in Bronx, New York, actor, Aces Wild, Border Cafe, Air Force 1872 Event George Westinghouse, Jr. patents triple air brake for trains 1859 Event 1st air mail (in a balloon) took off from Lafayette Ind 1602 Birthday Otto von Guericke, inventor, air pump
