Most Americans had never seen the newfangled machines that soared in the skies at America’s first international air meet in 1910. Enthusiasm for aviation grew after the first international air meet in 1909 in Rheims, France, where American aviator Glenn H. Curtiss won three prestigious speed prizes and 36,000 francs. An even more spectacular air meet, which would also invigorate the local economy, was promoted for Los Angeles. Businessman Dick Ferris, the Los Angeles Merchants and Manufacturers Association, and the Los Angeles Examiner collaborated to make it possible. Held January 10-20, 1910, on a mesa called Dominguez Hill, guests were initially skeptical, then awed, and so began America's love affair with aviation. This revolutionary air meet influenced aviation in Southern California and transportation worldwide into the 21st century. Enjoy the rich history of aviation in Los Angeles in this collection of 15 historic black-and-white postcards.
In this collection of vintage-photograph postcards, Kenneth E. Pauley and the Dominquez Rancho Adobe Museum explore the city's 1910 International Air Meet.