On This Day in Aviation History: August 1st
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On This Day in Aviation History: August 1st
On August 1st,
1957, the United States and Canada formally announce the creation of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. Created during the Cold War, its primary purpose is to protect the continent from Soviet bombers. And from Santa Claus.
1964, ALM-Antillean Airlines is founded in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles as an offshoot of KLM Royal Dutch to compete with Pan Am in the Caribbean and South America. Corruption, high debt and public disinterest drive the airline to bankruptcy in 2001.
1977, former CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers, whose U-2 was shot down over Soviet territory in 1960, dies when the KNBC news chopper he is flying crashes near Burbank Airport (BUR).
