One of the world’s busiest airports grew out of Mines Field and expanded quickly in the 1930s with the exploits of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes and Will Rogers, Curtiss and Martin, and Boeing and Lockheed. After World War II, this large portion of coastal Los Angeles between El Segundo and Marina del Rey became the main airport for Greater Los Angeles.
With the advent of the jet age in the town of the jet set, LAX became a nexus of international travel and a symbol of sophistication as the “Gateway to the World,” a cutting-edge center for the overlapping spheres of aviation, business, politics, and entertainment.
Background Information
Los Angeles began as one of the Spanish missions in California and grew to be the largest city in the West. Charles A. Lindbergh flew the Spirit of St. Louis on the first solo transatlantic flight from Long Island to Paris. Amelia Earhart was a pioneer of American aviation who set records and achieved world fame before disappearing on a flight over the Pacific Ocean. Howard Hughes was born into wealth which he increased greatly through investments in aviation and entertainment, before buying much of Las Vegas and dying there as a recluse.