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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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151 results for: Aerospace

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Image of East face of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 1950
Photograph

East face of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, 1950

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport opened officially in 1949, providing the region with a state-of-the-art passenger and freight gateway to Alaska and Asia. Four major airlines served Sea-Tac: United, Pan American, Northwest and Western.This 1950 photo shows the front of Seattle-Tacoma Airport. A bus, several cars and a motorcycle with a sidecar have parked on the entry ramp in front of the…
ID Number:SHS6186
Date:1950
Image of Men assembling wooden wings, Boeing Airplane Company, 1922
Photograph

Men assembling wooden wings, Boeing Airplane Company, 1922

In 1921, the Boeing Airplane Company won a large government contract to build 200 single-seater MB-3A fighter planes for the U. S. Army. By the end of 1922, workers had completed the work and had also designed, built, and refurbished several other kinds of planes. This helped keep the company open during the business slump that followed World War I.This…
ID Number:SHS9274
Date:1922
Image of Early Boeing seaplane on Lake Union, Seattle, circa 1918
Photograph

Early Boeing seaplane on Lake Union, Seattle, circa 1918

Typed on verso: Boeing seaplane, early. Probably Boeing C-11. Single float, on Lake Union.SHS category: Aeronautics
ID Number:SHS9306
Date:Circa 1918
Image of Mail planes at Sand Point, Seattle, June 14, 1927
Photograph

Mail planes at Sand Point, Seattle, June 14, 1927

Caption on image: Mail Planes at Sand Point. 6-14-27.Photographer's Reference Number: 1530-BSHS category: Aeronautics
ID Number:SHS9368
Date:1927
Image of First paying passengers of Boeing Commercial Air Service posing at Lake Union, Seattle, May 2, 1919
Photograph

First paying passengers of Boeing Commercial Air Service posing at Lake Union, Seattle, May 2, 1919

The first paying passengers of the Boeing Airplane Company were charged $15 for a 15-20 minute sightseeing tour over the city of Seattle, taking off in one of the Boeing factory's seaplanes from their Lake Union hangar.This image of the first customers was taken on the dock at Lake Union, with the seaplane behind. Third from the left is pilot…
ID Number:SHS11352A
Date:1919
Image of First paying passenger of Boeing Commercial Air Service in plane on Lake Union, Seattle, May 2, 1919
Photograph

First paying passenger of Boeing Commercial Air Service in plane on Lake Union, Seattle, May 2, 1919

The first paying passengers of the Boeing Airplane Company were charged $15 for a 15-20 minute sightseeing tour over the city of Seattle, taking off in one of the Boeing factory's seaplanes from their Lake Union hangar.This image of the first one of the first commercial flights was taken on Lake Union. It is not clear if this image is…
ID Number:SHS11352B
Date:1919
Image of Men pulling B & W into Boeing Seaplane Hangar on Lake Union, Seattle, 1916
Photograph

Men pulling B & W into Boeing Seaplane Hangar on Lake Union, Seattle, 1916

William Boeing started his airplane company in this hangar he had built on the shore of Lake Union in December 1915. The B & W seaplane, named after its designers, Boeing and Conrad Westervelt, was the first airplane produced at the small factory. The seaplane, constructed of Washington State spruce lumber, steel wire, and linen fabric, made its first successful…
ID Number:SHS11540
Date:1916
Image of Boeing
Photograph

Boeing "C" seaplane with air mail, 1919

In March 1919, airplane manufacturer William Boeing and pilot Eddie Hubbard carried a sack of mail from Vancouver to Seattle in Boeing's private seaplane. This demonstration flight was the first known international air mail trip. It took the two men three hours each way, including stops. At the time, it took much longer for the mail to travel between the…
ID Number:SHS12544
Date:1919
Image of Boeing Airplane Company Plant 1, June 8, 1917
Photograph

Boeing Airplane Company Plant 1, June 8, 1917

The Boeing Airplane Company got its first big military order when its "C" model seaplane was accepted as a trainer by the U.S. Navy during World War I. The company opened a new plant on the west side of the Duwamish River, south of Seattle, to handle all this new business. This photo, taken in June 1917, shows the new…
ID Number:SHS12999
Date:1917
Image of Boeing 747 assembly plant showing four 747s under construction, Everett, circa 1969
Photograph

Boeing 747 assembly plant showing four 747s under construction, Everett, circa 1969

Boeing's first Model 747 rolled out of the Everett assembly plant in September 1968. Some 50,000 Boeing employees in four different plants worked on the 747 project, building the world's largest civilian plane in only 16 months. Deliveries to the airlines began in 1969.This photo, probably taken sometime around 1969, shows four Boeing 747s being assembled at the Everett plant.…
ID Number:SHS13493
Date:Circa 1969
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
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