1919: The first transatlantic flight is made in stages by the U.S. Navy’s Curtis N-4 seaplane flown by Lt. Cdr. A. C. Read and his crew.
1929: At the first Academy Award ceremonies in Los Angeles, the Oscar for Best Picture for 1927-1928 goes to the Paramount movie, Wings. This World War I flying epic remains a classic today.
1945: Middle East Airlines is founded.
1958: Cpt W. W. Irwin sets a new airspeed record of 1,404 mph (2,259 km/h) in a F-104 Starfighter, the first record over 2,000 km/h.
1968: A British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Super VC10 on a routine service from Chicago and Montreal makes the airline’s first fully automatic approach and landing in London.
1969: Venera 5, USSR Venus Atmosphere Probe, (launched January 5, 1969) arrived at Venus. Along with Venera 6, atmospheric data was returned indicating an atmosphere composed of 93-97 carbon dioxide, 2-5 nitrogen, and less than 4 oxygen. The probe returned data down to within 26 kilometers of surface and was then lost - crushed by the pressure on Venus.
1979: New York Airways Sikorsky S-61 tips over while taking on passengers at the Pan Am Building in New York City, killing four. The heliport is permanently closed afterward.
1986: Top Gun (film) opens in theaters in United States.
1992: The 2,000th C-130 Hercules rolls off the production line.