Boeing's Jumbo Jet That Changed the World

Boeing's gamble on the 747 paid off in a big way. In 1965, Pan Am president Juan Trippe phoned Boeing president Bill Allen and asked for an aircraft twice the size of anything flying at that time.

The result was the Boeing 747, which first flew on February 9, 1969, and entered service with Pan Am in January 1970. The 747 carried 400 passengers, more than double any other commercial airliner, and drove down costs per seat dramatically.

Over the decade following its introduction, the average price of a transatlantic air ticket fell by more than 40% in real terms. Before the 747, intercontinental travel was for the wealthy; after it, anyone could fly.