In  Episode 17 of The Florida History Podcast presented by The Florida Squeeze we chronicle the rise of Pan American World Airways Florida links, from birth in Key West to development of the US’ first major international airport on Dinner Key in Coconut Grove, Miami.

We also discuss President Franklin Roosevelt becoming the first US President to take a plane flight, flying overseas to the wartime Casablanca Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. FDR flew from Miami’s Dinner Key Airport, which was then the world’s busiest international airport. This historic flight in January 1943 came weeks after the successful Operation Torch landings in North Africa under the direction of General Eisenhower.

We’ve chronicled the history of Pan American World Airways post 1970 in Florida previously at this site as well as reviewed Robert Gandt’s masterful story of the fall of Pan Am, Skygods: The Fall of Pan Am.

You can listen to the Florida History Podcast on Anchor (which hosts our show), Spotify, Google, Apple, Radio Public, Breaker, Overcast, Castro or Pocket Casts. Overcast, Castro, Spotify, Radio Public and Breaker have App Store apps for free which enable you to subscribe and listen on your iPhone if you do not use the Apple Podcast app. We release a new episode weekly.