The 1920s was a special time in American history. The "war to end all wars" was over and the United States was stronger than ever.
Air travel was also gaining popularity after the first flight took off in 1903. In 1924, the U.S. Air Force had a daring and revolutionary plan: to be the first to successfully complete a flight all the way around the world.
The journey started in Santa Monica, C.A. on March 17 and took 175 days. Four planes named after American cities, the Boston, Seattle, New Orleans and Chicago each had two-man crews that would attempt to travel over 27,000 miles.
The following slides contain photos from a silent film, kept in the US National Archives, which chronicled the first-ever aerial circumnavigation of the globe.
The four planes slated to make the round-the-world flight arrive on the shores of San Diego, waiting to be taken for the ride.
A large crowd gathered to see the brave Air Force soldiers off on their monumental journey.
The planes get some last minute mechanical fixes and the crew is just about ready to embark.
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