16/51 Delta Air Lines.
Founded in 1924 as an aerial crop dusting company, Delta Air Lines has grown to become one of the largest air carriers in the world.
First located in Louisiana, Delta moved its headquarters to Atlanta in 1941.
Over the last seven decades, Delta’s growth has paralleled and helped fuel the growth of Atlanta as a regional and national commercial center. In 1955, Delta pioneered the hub-and-spoke system of connecting flights. The company entered the jet age in 1959 with the introduction of the Douglas DC-8 into service along with their new triangular red, white, and blue “widget” logo representing the jet’s swept wing.
Stewardesses (now called flight attendants) were added to the flight crew prior to World War II. For many decades, stewardesses were required to be unmarried females and had to meet specific height, weight, and age restrictions. The earliest stewardesses had to be registered nurses.
Atlanta Municipal Airport (now Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport), 1948.
First Image:
Courtesy of Delta Flight Museum
Second Image:
Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center, Thurston Hatcher Photographs
Next: 17 Cyclorama.
In the summer of 1885, artists from the American Panorama Company in Milwaukee began developing sketches for The Battle of Atlanta painting.