–
August 13, 2025
1 January 1914: The world’s first scheduled commercial passenger flight took place when Antony Habersack Jannus piloted a Benoist XIV Air Boat, a small biplane, from St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida. The passenger was St. Petersburg’s mayor, Abraham C. Pheil. Over 3,000 people witnessed the departure.
Before 1914, a horse and buggy or automobile trip between St. Petersburg and Tampa took several hours over rutted, unpaved roads. Trains and steamships made the trip in no less than three hours.
Jannus flew 50 feet over the water at speeds up to 75 mph. Only twenty-three minutes after lifting off across the bay, the airboat landed in the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa to the cheers of 1,500 spectators.
…
Celebrate with our yummy cookies!
Admission for our WaCKy TALES WEDNESDaY is FREE. Donations are cheerfully accepted!
