The Boeing 747 makes its maiden flight

On February 9, 1969, the first Boeing 747 lifted off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on a maiden flight that lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The prototype, registered RA001 and christened City of Everett, was crewed by chief test pilot Jack Waddell, co-pilot Brien Wygle, and flight engineer Jesse Wallick.

The aircraft was unlike anything before it: a wide-body airliner with a distinctive upper-deck hump, built in a factory so large it had to be erected specially to house it. Spectators crowded the field to watch the largest transport plane in the world climb away.

Its sheer size drove down the cost of a seat and helped turn long-haul flight into something millions could afford.

The 747 entered service with Pan Am in 1970 and dominated intercontinental travel for decades. That very first airframe, City of Everett, survives today and is preserved at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.