Long Beach Airport and Southern California: A Brief New Aviation & Aeronautics History (1900s-1980s)

A History talk on “Long Beach Airport and Southern California: A Brief New Aviation and Aeronautics History (1900s-1980s),” researched and written by Alison Rose Jefferson and Philip S. Hart on behalf of the Historical Society of Long Beach, this project was commissioned by Long Beach Airport as part of its 100th anniversary celebration. The report illustrates the histories, significance and importance of Long Beach and Southern California aviation and aeronautics activities. An important component is the inclusion in this narrative of the histories of women and people of color (Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous and other persons of color) who participated and contributed to making the Southern California environs a global center of aviation and aerospace over the last century.