Santa Monica to Celebrate the ‘First Around the World’ Douglas World Cruisers

An open house at the Santa Monica Airport will mark the 99th anniversary of the seaplanes’ return to KSMO.

Friday, September 22, 2023 at 12:35 PM ET

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The Douglas World Cruiser 'Chicago' resides in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum following its historic round-the-world flight. [Courtesy of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum]

Key Takeaways:

The Santa Monica Airport Association is hosting an Open House on Saturday, September 23, at KSMO, commemorating the 99th anniversary of the Douglas World Cruisers' historic 1924 return after nearly circumnavigating the Earth.
The event will showcase a wide range of aviation marvels, including historic aircraft, electric planes, eVTOLs, and drones, alongside next-generation mobility solutions like self-driving cars and e-bikes.
Attendees can expect community engagement activities, STEM education, aviation scholarships, live music, food trucks, children's activities, and a special fly-by by the Goodyear Blimp.

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The Douglas World Cruisers stood tall against the trees along the edge of the landing area at Clover Field on September 23, 1924. The Chicago and the New Orleans had nearly completed a circumnavigation of the Earth—they only had one leg to go up to Seattle to tie the bow on the route—but Donald Douglas, founder of the Douglas Aircraft Company, wanted to celebrate their achievement in Santa Monica, California, first.

After all, the five total DWCs had first taken flight there in March of that year, though they officially started their record-setting trip around the world from Lake Washington in Seattle on Douglas’ 32nd birthday, April 6.