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- [00:01]
Lindsey Graham
There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad free.
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Unknown
Listen with Wondry plus in the Wondery.
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Lindsey Graham
App as a member of Noiser plus at noiser.com or in Apple Podcasts. Or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts@intohristory.com It's May 12, 1992. On the Tarmac at JFK International Airport, a group of people gather beside an aircraft that has become synonymous with luxury air travel. The Boeing 747 stamped on the side of the fuselage in huge blue letters is Pan Am, the name of the company that made this airplane model famous. And this plane in particular is noteworthy. It's the company's first 747, the Clipper One T Trip, so named after the man who modernized Pan Am back in the 1920s. Workers wander in and out of the cabin, making all the necessary checks before taking off for Southern California. On the ground, a mix of reporters, photographers and Pan Am employees mill about, talking to each other with a mix of reverence and sadness. But as the jet's engines roar to life, nobody boards the plane. Today's trip is a special one. It's going to be the last ever Pan Am flight. The journey the Clipper won? T trip is about to take is more of a symbolic gesture than anything else. Pan Am officially grounded all its passenger flights a few months ago. Decades of poor financial decisions had left the once great airline struggling to get out of debt. Eventually, pulling the plug was the only option left. But the decision to shut down Pan Am Airlines came as a huge disappointment to many Americans, including the countless employees of the airline. For decades, Pan Am was the defining international airline in the United States. But today, that era ends. The Yuan T trip ambles its way down the Runway, flanked by firetrucks shooting water cannons. The 747 picks up speed and then slowly ascends into the air, just like it's done countless times before. And though this plane will take off again, it will be the very last time that it flies under the Pan Am brand. Throughout the 20th century, Pan American Airways dominated the skies and international travel. They were the first airline to fly worldwide. With flights to every single continent besides Antarctica. Pan Am instilled an air of luxury and glamour into the experience of flying. But over time, mistake after mistake cost the airline everything, leaving it no choice but to halt its operations on December 4, 1991. Hey prime members, have you heard? You can listen to your favorite podcasts ad free.
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Unknown
That's good news.
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Lindsey Graham
With Amazon Music, you have access to the largest catalog of ad Free top podcasts included with your prime membership. To start listening, download the Amazon Music app for free or go to Amazon.com adfreepodcasts that's Amazon.com ad freepodcasts to catch up on the latest episodes without the ads.
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History Daily is sponsored by Audible, whose best of 2024 picks are here. Discover the year's top audiobooks and originals in all your favorite genres, from memoirs and sci fi to mysteries and thrillers. Audible's curated list in every category is the best way to hear 2024's best in audio entertainment, like like a stunning new full cast production of George Orwell's 1984 heartfelt memoirs, like Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's lovely one, the year's best fiction, like the Women by Kristin Hannah and Percival Evert's brilliantly subversive title James or a personal pick of mine, Malcolm Gladwell's latest audiobook, Revenge of the Tipping Point. Find a new favorite and get listening with Audible because there's more to imagine when you listen. Go to audible.com historydaily and discover all the years best waiting for you.
- [04:11]
Lindsey Graham
From Noiser and Airship. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is History Daily. History is made every day on this podcast. Every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is December 4, 1991. Pan Am shuts down for good. It's the night of October 26, 1958 at New York's Idlewild Airport. Tonight, 111 lucky passengers are about to make history. They are going to take the first ever international flight in a Pan Am jet. To mark the occasion, Pan Am has pulled out all the stops. As passengers arrive, they're led down the tarmac on a red carpet. Accompanied by the playing of an army band, they stroll down the walkway until they reach the star of the show, the Boeing 707 Jet, its 130 foot wingspan stretched out over the crowd, lit dramatically with huge floodlights. As the passengers board the aircraft, they're greeted by stewardesses dressed in neat, tailored suits in the airline's iconic shade of blue. Travelers are offered wine and glass stemware and can look forward to hot meals delivered to them on China plates. The fliers enjoy this luxury, but more than anything else, they're excited about the prospect of a new kind of air travel. Tonight's flight will take its passengers from New York to Paris in just over six hours, an unimaginably short amount of time for everyone on board. Until now, airplanes Just didn't have that kind of speed. The same flight on other planes would Normally take around nine hours. Most commercial aircraft cap out at around 400 miles per hour. But the Boeing 707 can go up to 600 miles per hour. And the 111 passengers on board tonight's flight are about to feel the full force of its engines. The jet begins to taxi. Then it picks up speed, rushing faster and faster down the tarmac. No one on board has experienced this kind of sensation before they can feel the force of the engines pushing them back into their seats. Even the stewardesses reach across their jump seats to hold hands, staring at each other in wide eyed surprise. The jet age has finally begun. Though. Pan Am has already established itself as a trailblazer in air travel since its humble beginnings as an airmail service in 1927, Pan Am grew to become the first ever international passenger airline in the United States, offering short trips from the Florida Keys to Havana, Cuba. What made Pan Am so special in those early years was its unique use of seaplanes to get to hard to reach destinations. Since these so called clippers could land safely on the water, Pan Am could take passengers to a variety of scenic, harder to reach destinations in South America. And as the popularity of these flights grew, the brand expanded its destinations across the globe. And from the very beginning, Pan Am made sure to emphasize the glamour of air travel. Flying was exciting and new, a chance to explore corners of the world that used to feel impossibly distant. Pan Am emphasized the luxury of this experience through an extreme attention to detail. Pilots wore navy suits adorned with gold bands on the arm. And Pan Am stewardesses spoke multiple languages. As the brand entered the 1950s, competitor airlines like TWA mimicked the same air of glamour, boasting about the A list celebrities who flew with them. They were luxurious in their own right, but nobody did it like Pan Am. Whatever TWA was offering Pan Am had been doing it for longer, as indicated by Pan Am's slogan, the world's most experienced airline. But although Pan Am is already at the top of the airline industry, jet travel is a game changer for them. Jets cut travel time almost in half, making it easier than ever to travel around the world. And that means more international flights per day and more money for Pan Am if they can sell more tickets. But in addition to adopting quicker travel by jet, Pan Am introduces an economy class where tickets can come at a fraction of the cost. Now there's even more of an incentive to fly with Pan Am. The airline will ride this success throughout the 1960s and into 1970. That year alone, Pan Am will fly 11 million customers across 20 billion miles, and things will only seem to be looking up. So Pan Am will adopt a new jet model, the Boeing 747, which carries twice the number of passengers as the 707. Feeling confident the airline will decide to make an enormous investment, spending $500 million on a fleet of Boeing 747s, confident that with these new planes, Pan Am will be writing the next chapter in their success story. But that will be a mistake.
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Unknown
History Daily is sponsored by Indeed.
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Lindsey Graham
The last time I hired for an.
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Unknown
Audio editor position, I got hundreds of resumes. So many that finding the right candidate.
- [09:21]
Lindsey Graham
Became a real challenge.
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Unknown
But you know, I love a challenge if I have the right partner to help, and if that sounds like you too, then you need Indeed. Indeed is your matching and hiring platform with over 350 million global monthly visitors, according to Indeed data, and a matching engine that helps you find quality candidates fast. So ditch the busy work. Use Indeed for scheduling, screening and messaging so you can connect with candidates faster. Although Indeed doesn't just help you hire faster, it helps you hire better. 93% of employers agree Indeed delivers the highest quality matches compared to other job.
- [09:54]
Lindsey Graham
Sites, according to a recent Indeed survey.
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So join more than three and a half million businesses worldwide that use Indeed to hire great talent fast. Listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com OnThisDay, just go to Indeed.com OnThisDay.
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Lindsey Graham
Right now and support the show by.
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Unknown
Simply you heard about Indeed on history daily indeed.com on this day, terms and conditions apply.
- [10:20]
Lindsey Graham
But if you need to hire, you need Indeed.
- [10:23]
Unknown
History Daily is sponsored by Mint Mobile. If you and I were walking down the street, total strangers though, and I was about to fall into a manhole, you'd yell or try to grab me or something before I sustained horrible injuries. Or if I was about to sit on a freshly painted bench, you'd warn me, look out. Wet paint, right? What if I dropped a $20 bill? You'd let me know, I'm sure. So let me return the favor. Mint Mobile offers Premium Wireless for 15 bucks a month when you purchase a three month plan. 15 bucks a month? Think about how much you're paying now and you'll realize you're dropping dollar bills all over the place. Mint Mobile was perfect for resurrecting an old phone for my daughter, who you know what? I bet she would return any money I dropped too I'm proud of that kid. To get this new customer offer and your new 3 month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to mintmobile.com historydaily that's mintmobile.com historydaily Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com historydaily $45 upfront payment required. Equivalent to $15 a month. New customers on first 3 month plan only. Speed slower above 40 GB on unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees and restrictions apply. See Mint Mobile for details.
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Lindsey Graham
It's October 19, 1973, only three years after Pan Am's large investment in Boeing 747 jumbo jets all across the United States. The news reports on the day's biggest story. The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, or oapec, has just declared an oil embargo on the United States. OAPEC is doing this as an act of retaliation against the US Government's support of Israel's military during the ongoing Arab Israeli war. The effect is immediate and staggering. The cost of oil doubles, then triples. Gas stations start running dry, leaving Americans sitting in long lines in the hope of just filling up their tank. The embargo only lasts five months, ending in March of 1974. But in that time, the cost of oil quadrupled and it shows no signs of going down. For Pan Am, this could not have come at a worse time. It's that now, even after the embargo's end, it's hard to convince Americans to spend money on international flights. To consumers, it feels like an extra expense that could go to something more practical. And many of Pan Am's new 747 jets start flying at half capacity. The combination of slowing sales and expensive fuel costs is crippling. As the years go on, Pan Am can't seem to increase the demand for international flights. And by 1976 it's estimated that the airline has lost over $300 million, racking up a debt of over 1 billion. Something has to change, and fast. So Pan Am starts looking domestically. In the past, Pan Am dealt exclusively in international flights. But now they're hoping that merging their operations with a pre existing domestic airline could help save them from financial ruin. But standing in their way is the United States government. Since Pan Am has long been an international airline, the federal government interprets their intent to buy a domestic carrier as an attempt at monopolizing all air travel and refuses to allow any mergers. It takes two more years for things to change. In 1978, the airline deregulation act passes Effectively declaring that the government cannot control airline routes. Pan Am is finally cleared for a merger and they waste no time in purchasing national airlines for $437 million. But this long sought after acquisition comes with unexpected consequences that hurt Pan Am. As time passes, it becomes clear that the culture of Pan Am is vastly different to that of national airlines. Pan Am can't reconcile its luxury international air travel brand with that of the more frugal National. So as Pan am enters the 1980s, it's still hemorrhaging money. The airline starts selling properties to make some quick cash, including their iconic Manhattan headquarters. But in 1988, tragedy strikes, ruining their chances of economic recovery. That year, terrorists plant a bomb on a Pan Am flight from London to New York. It detonates as the plane flies above Scotland, killing all 279 people on board and 11 people on the ground. In the investigation that follows, many fingers get pointed at Pan Am for loose security measures. But Pan Am is not unique in this. Security has not been a priority across much of the industry. But because of this tragedy, Pan Am becomes the face of the problem. So for the next few years, Pan Am will continue to nosedive. In January of 1991, Delta will acquire Pan Am in a last ditch effort to revitalize the company. They'll take over all of the brand's European roots in the much coveted Pan Am terminal at JFK International. But even this won't save the company. And within a few months, Delta will pull its financial support. By the end of 1991, Pan Am will be losing upwards of $3 million every day. And they'll have no choice but to shut down for good.
- [15:37]
Unknown
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- [16:19]
Lindsey Graham
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- [16:21]
Unknown
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- [16:26]
Lindsey Graham
Sign up for greenlight today@greenlight.com historydaily that's greenlight.com historydaily to try greenlight today@greenlight.com Historydaily.
- [16:38]
Unknown
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- [17:29]
Lindsey Graham
It'S December 4, 1991 at the Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. travelers wait impatiently at their gate. Their Pan Am flight to New York City should be boarding any second now. But for some reason, it's not. The minutes pass by with no update. Slowly, anxious passengers walk up to the Pan Am counter asking what the problem is. They flash their tickets as proof that they are in fact supposed to be on this flight. But their tickets mean nothing to the workers at the counter because they have a terrible job to do today. Dejected, they explain to these frustrated customers that this flight isn't going to be taking any passengers at all. The aircraft is going to fly from D.C. to JFK with an empty cabin because Pan Am is shutting down for good right now. This scene plays out simultaneously all across the United States. Leaving would be passengers scrambling to figure out other travel options during the already hectic holiday season. National news News quickly picks up the story, interviewing disgruntled travelers at the airport and Pan Am employees who aren't any better off. The shutdown comes as a huge surprise to them, too. Suddenly, the job they've come to count on has disappeared into thin air. In an interview with abc, one woman struggles to properly express her sadness about the news. Standing in front of the bag check counter, still dressed in her Pan Am uniform, employee Agnes Bo starts to choke up as she talks about how special Pan Am is to her. Pan American World Airways is a wonderful, wonderful airline, and it's just very, very, very sad. Soon, the last ever passenger flight happens in Barbados, carrying a full cabin from the island to Miami. This route isn't much different from the flights from Florida to Cuba that Pan Am used to run back in the 1920s. And for people who know Pan Am's history, this is a fitting final act. In the decades that follow, Pan Am will be remembered as an icon of the 20th century and an early adopter of many of the foundational components of air travel we know today. Its legacy will live on in countless ways, from the use of air traffic control down to the style of pilot uniforms, allowing Pan Am to be remembered as a giant of the skies even after years of turmoil, for the airline to shut down operations on December 4, 1991.
- [19:55]
Unknown
Next on History Daily, December 5, 1945 five US Navy bombers disappear, sparking decades.
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Lindsey Graham
Of speculation about a mysterious region known.
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Unknown
As the Bermuda Triangle.
- [20:13]
Lindsey Graham
From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohammad Shahzib Sound design by Molly Bach music by Lindsey Graham this episode is written and researched by Georgia Hampton. Executive producers are Alexandra Curry Buckner for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.