Aviation History
The United States began the powered-flight era in 1903 when the Wright brothers flew the first controlled, sustained heavier-than-air flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Commercial aviation grew rapidly through airmail contracts in the 1920s, prompting the federal government to begin regulating the industry, first loosely and later comprehensively as the sector matured. The jet age arrived in the late 1950s, followed by the 1978 deregulation of domestic airline pricing and routes, which reshaped the US airline industry into a hub-and-spoke, competition-driven market. The September 11, 2001 attacks led to sweeping aviation security reforms. Today the US has the world's largest domestic aviation market and is home to major manufacturers (Boeing) and global carriers.
Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the first controlled, sustained powered flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Congress passed the Air Commerce Act, giving the federal government authority to regulate civil aviation, license pilots and aircraft, and establish airways.
Charles Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis nonstop from New York to Paris, the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight and a major boost to public interest in aviation.
Mergers of small airmail operators formed the predecessors of American Airlines and other national carriers; several, including United and Delta, trace their roots to this era.
The Boeing 707 entered transatlantic service around the same year Congress created the Federal Aviation Agency (later Administration) to oversee the increasingly complex, jet-powered airspace.
Southwest Airlines began service in Texas, pioneering a low-fare, point-to-point business model later copied by low-cost carriers worldwide.
The Airline Deregulation Act removed federal control over fares and routes, ending the Civil Aeronautics Board's authority and spurring new competition and hub-and-spoke networks.
The September 11 terrorist attacks, which used hijacked airliners, led to the creation of the Transportation Security Administration and a permanent overhaul of aviation security screening.
American Airlines · Delta Air Lines · United Airlines · Southwest Airlines · Pan American World Airways (historic)
General aviation history sources (FAA history, encyclopedic references); current airline market share and rankings may shift over time.