First Flight

December 11, 1943, President Franklin D Roosevelt became the first president to fly in an airplane. He was making his way from the United States to the city of Casablanca in French Morocco in order to plan the next stage of the Allies' war strategy against Nazi Germany. 

Photo: airspacemag.com

This was the first time that a President had flown. FDR had experience flying in a plane before, but he was not president at the time of that flight in 1932. The flight to Africa was a commercial flight that left from Miami and the pilots of the plane were not aware of who their passenger was until the President arrived. 

Photo: cecomhistory.armylive.dodlive.mil

Joining Roosevelt at the Casablanca Conference were British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud of Free France. Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin declined to attend due to the German siege of Stalingrad. At the conference it was decided that the Allies would demand "unconditional surrender", meaning the Axis Powers would be fought to their total defeat with no cease-fire or truce.

Roosevelt had proposed using the provocative term and when asked what he meant by unconditional surrender, Roosevelt said, "We mean no harm to the common people of the Axis nations. But we do mean to impose punishment and retribution upon their guilty, barbaric leaders."

Photo: history place.com