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.
