Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the first commercial trans-Pacific airmail service. China Clipper (NC14716) was the first of three Martin M-130 four-engine flying boats built for Pan American Airway used in the service. Built at a cost of $417,000 by the Glenn L. Martin Company in Baltimore, Maryland, it was delivered to Pan Am on October 9, 1935. It was one of the largest airplanes of its time.
On November 22, 1935, it took off from Alameda, California on commission to deliver the first airmail cargo across the Pacific Ocean Although its inaugural flight plan called for the China Clipper to fly over the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge (still under construction at the time), upon take-off the pilot realized the plane would not clear the structure, and was forced to fly narrowly under instead. On November 29, the airplane reached its destination, Manila, after traveling via Honolulu, Midway Island, Wake Island, and Sumay, Guam, and delivered over 110,000 pieces of mail.
Aerial view of Pan American Airways “China Clipper” over San Francisco – Coit Memorial Tower at left.
BEFORE THEY WERE FAMOUS
Charlize Theron Aged 14
Sean Connery Aged 23
Beyonce Aged 7
On this day in 1981, Queen and David Bowie were at No.1 in the UK with Under Pressure. They recorded the song together when both acts were working in a Swiss recording studio. It was David Bowie’s first released collaboration with another recording artist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsuBBd9W4hk
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