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This Week in HistoryThis Week in History: Week 39 (28 September 1924)

The First Flight Around The World

2 US planes, The Chicago and The New Orleans, complete the first flight around the world.

In 1924, two planes completed the first flight around the world, covering 26,343 miles in 175 days. Four bi-planes left Seattle in the USA and flew north to Alaska, where one of them crashed. The remaining three then flew across to Japan, down to South-East Asia, across India and then through Europe. Another crashed on the way to Iceland, but the last two, The Chicago and The New Orleans, completed the journey back to Seattle. The planes travelled at an average speed of 70mph and had to have their engines replaced many times during the trip. Despite the crashes, all eight pilots survived.

bi-plane (noun): an aircraft with two sets of wings one above the other
cover (verb): pass over
remaining (adjective): still there after the others are gone
journey (noun): a trip from one place to another
replace (verb): exchange for a new one

The aircraft Chicago
All 4 planes were named after American cities to help acquaint the world with America during the world tour. The planes were: Seattle, Chicago (seen above), Boston and New Orleans.

Mini Quiz

1. During most of the flight the planes were travelling
a) from east to west
b) from west to east
c) from south to north

Show answer

a

2. Two of the planes failed to complete the flight because of crashes in
a) North America and Asia
b) North America and Europe
c) Asia and Europe

Show answer

b

3. The final destination of their journey was
a) Iceland
b) Seattle
c) Chicago

Show answer

b

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Contributor: Matt Errey. Matt is the author of several books including 1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context and Common English Idioms for learners, and Matt's ESL Games and Quizzes for teachers.