LaGuardia Airport: New York's First Major Airport
12/02/16 • 5 min
Here are some things you may not have known about the closest airport to Manhattan.
LaGuardia was the city’s first major airport.
Until that time, the only commercial airport in the New York region was in Newark, New Jersey. Supposedly, the decision to develop the small North Beach Airport into a commercial terminal came when New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia refused to leave the plane in Newark when his ticket said New York. He demanded to be flown to Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field. At Bennett Field, he held a press conference urging New Yorkers to build an airport in the city.
After that, American Airlines began scheduling flights to Bennett Field, but stopped after several months as they proved unpopular compared to service to Newark.
With backing from the Works Progress Administration, the city and American Airlines began working to expand North Beach Airport. Part of the expansion included moving landfill into a metal framework jutting into the East River and Flushing Bay. That framework still causes magnetic interference for pilots.
It cost $23 million to expand the airfield into a then-modern facility, which was originally called New York Municipal Airport.
In 1942, the airport was reaching its capacity, so the city began construction on another larger airport on the site of Idlewild Golf Course in southwest Queens. Sometimes referred to as Idlewild, New York International Airport opened in 1948.
In 1953, New York Municipal was renamed LaGuardia, six years after the former mayor’s death. Following the death of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, New York International was renamed in Kennedy’s honor.
LaGuardia serves as a regional airport. Since 1984, flights longer than 1,500 miles are prohibited from taking off or landing at LaGuardia from Sunday to Friday. At the time of the rule change, the airport’s longest flights were to Denver, which is 1,600 miles away. Flights to and from the Mile High City are still allowed. Longer flights, including most international flights, land at Newark or Kennedy.
Despite the restrictions, LaGuardia is the 20th busiest airport in the United States.
In 2015, a $4 billion plan to rebuild LaGuardia’s terminals from the ground up was announced. The plan will consolidate the airport’s four terminals into one building. It’s expected to be completed in 2021.
Our question: What Major League Baseball team plays its home games beneath the flightpath leading to LaGuardia Airport?
Today is International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, as well as National Day in Laos and United Arab Emirates.
It’s unofficially National Fritters Day, National Mutt Day, and Safety Razor Day.
It’s the birthday of artist Georges Seurat, who was born in 1859; singer Maria Callas, who was born in 1923; and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who turns 33.
Because our topic happened before 1960, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.
This week in 1974, the top song in the U.S. was “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas.
The No. 1 movie was “Earthquake,” while the novel “Centennial” by James Michener topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.
• Thanks to JBainJohnson for the five-star review on iTunes.
LinksFollow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.
Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com
Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here.
Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaGuardia_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_International_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiorello_H._La_Guardia
https://secure.pqarchiver.com/newsday/doc/279134460.html?FMT=FT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_2
http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/la-guardia-airport-renovation-a-nightmare-for-travelers/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_the_United_States
Here are some things you may not have known about the closest airport to Manhattan.
LaGuardia was the city’s first major airport.
Until that time, the only commercial airport in the New York region was in Newark, New Jersey. Supposedly, the decision to develop the small North Beach Airport into a commercial terminal came when New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia refused to leave the plane in Newark when his ticket said New York. He demanded to be flown to Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field. At Bennett Field, he held a press conference urging New Yorkers to build an airport in the city.
After that, American Airlines began scheduling flights to Bennett Field, but stopped after several months as they proved unpopular compared to service to Newark.
With backing from the Works Progress Administration, the city and American Airlines began working to expand North Beach Airport. Part of the expansion included moving landfill into a metal framework jutting into the East River and Flushing Bay. That framework still causes magnetic interference for pilots.
It cost $23 million to expand the airfield into a then-modern facility, which was originally called New York Municipal Airport.
In 1942, the airport was reaching its capacity, so the city began construction on another larger airport on the site of Idlewild Golf Course in southwest Queens. Sometimes referred to as Idlewild, New York International Airport opened in 1948.
In 1953, New York Municipal was renamed LaGuardia, six years after the former mayor’s death. Following the death of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, New York International was renamed in Kennedy’s honor.
LaGuardia serves as a regional airport. Since 1984, flights longer than 1,500 miles are prohibited from taking off or landing at LaGuardia from Sunday to Friday. At the time of the rule change, the airport’s longest flights were to Denver, which is 1,600 miles away. Flights to and from the Mile High City are still allowed. Longer flights, including most international flights, land at Newark or Kennedy.
Despite the restrictions, LaGuardia is the 20th busiest airport in the United States.
In 2015, a $4 billion plan to rebuild LaGuardia’s terminals from the ground up was announced. The plan will consolidate the airport’s four terminals into one building. It’s expected to be completed in 2021.
Our question: What Major League Baseball team plays its home games beneath the flightpath leading to LaGuardia Airport?
Today is International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, as well as National Day in Laos and United Arab Emirates.
It’s unofficially National Fritters Day, National Mutt Day, and Safety Razor Day.
It’s the birthday of artist Georges Seurat, who was born in 1859; singer Maria Callas, who was born in 1923; and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who turns 33.
Because our topic happened before 1960, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.
This week in 1974, the top song in the U.S. was “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas.
The No. 1 movie was “Earthquake,” while the novel “Centennial” by James Michener topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.
• Thanks to JBainJohnson for the five-star review on iTunes.
LinksFollow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.
Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com
Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here.
Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaGuardia_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_International_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiorello_H._La_Guardia
https://secure.pqarchiver.com/newsday/doc/279134460.html?FMT=FT
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_2
http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/la-guardia-airport-renovation-a-nightmare-for-travelers/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_the_United_States
Next Episode
Washington Monument: A Slow Process
On this date in 1884, the Washington Monument was completed.
Here are some things you may not have known about the memorial to the first American President.
Proposals for a monument to George Washington started at the end of the Revolutionary War. However, Congress didn’t act until after his death in 1799, when it authorized a memorial in the national capital, which was under construction at the time. However, this decision was overturned by the Jeffersonian Republicans who didn’t want to build a monument to any man, much less one that was the hero of the opposition Federalist Party.
It took until 1832 for any legitimate progress toward a monument to be made. That year marked the 100th anniversary of Washington’s birth, which was used by a group called the Washington National Monument Society as a rallying point for a fundraising campaign. Over the course of three years, they raised $28,000, which is the equivalent to more than $17 million today.
A contest was held to choose the best design, which was submitted by Robert Mills, who was the Architect for Public Buildings in Washington, D.C. His design featured a flat-topped obelisk, which is a four-sided pillar that tapers as it rises, with a circular colonnade at the base. Picture a combination of a flat-topped Washington Monument atop a circular Lincoln Memorial. The proposal had an estimated price tag of $1 million, or more than $620 million today.
The society decided to start construction, hopeful that the progress would lead to further donations to allow it to be completed.
It was originally intended to be located at the intersection of perpendicular lines running from the U.S. Capitol and the White House. However, the ground at that location was not stable enough to support such a large building and it was instead built about 400 feet east south east. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848.
Construction continued until 1854, when the money ran out. At the time, the monument was 152 feet tall. Construction wouldn’t resume until 1879, using stone from a different quarry, leading to the difference in color that exists to this day.
With sufficient funding, construction moved swiftly. It was completed on December 6, 1884 with the placement of an aluminum cap at the point. At the time, aluminum was rare and as valuable as silver.
The Washington Monument is 554 feet 7-11/32 inches tall. At completion it was the tallest building in the world, passing the Cologne Cathedral. It held the title until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. It remains the tallest stone structure in the world, and, by law, the tallest building in Washington, D.C.
Our question: Had the Washington Monument been constructed where it was intended, it would have formed the center of a cross. The White House and the Capitol are on two ends of the cross, what buildings are on the opposite ends?
Today is Constitution Day in Spain, Independence Day in Finland, and Armed Forces Day in Ukraine.
It’s unofficially National Gazpacho Day, National Microwave Oven Day, and National Pawnbrokers Day.
It’s the birthday of songwriter Ira Gershwin, who was born in 1896; musician Dave Brubeck, who was born in 1920; and animator Nick Park, who is 58.
Because our topic happened before 1960, we’ll spin the wheel to pick a year at random.
This week in 1969, the top song in the U.S. was “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Steam.
The No. 1 movie was “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” while the novel “The Godfather” by Mario Puzo topped the New York Times Bestsellers list.
Weekly questionWhat two states were the sources of the marble used in construction of the Washington Monument?
LinksFollow us on Twitter, Facebook or our website.
Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting it through Patreon.com
Please rate the show on iTunes by clicking here.
Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_6
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington
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