The Idlewild Airport Incident: Khrushchev's Controversial Visit

Nikita Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union when he landed at Idlewild Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport. The airport was renamed in 1963, a month after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Khrushchev's arrival at Idlewild Airport preceded his meeting with Hubert H. Humphrey

Nikita Khrushchev was the Soviet Union's premier in the 1950s and 1960s. Idlewild Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport, was an international airport in New York City that opened in 1948.

Hubert H. Humphrey was an American politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 1949 to 1964 and again from 1971 until his death in 1978.

On December 8, 1958, Humphrey returned from a European tour and landed at Idlewild Airport with his wife, Muriel. During his tour, he had an eight-hour interview with Khrushchev in Moscow.

Khrushchev's arrival at Idlewild Airport thus preceded his meeting with Hubert H. Humphrey. This meeting between the Soviet premier and the American senator took place in Moscow, where they discussed the western powers' presence in Berlin, among other topics.

Idlewild Airport was renamed after John F. Kennedy's assassination

Idlewild Airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in tribute to the 35th president of the United States, who was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

The airport, which opened in 1948, was originally named New York International Airport, but was commonly known as Idlewild Airport, after a golf course and luxury resort that previously occupied the site.

On November 15, 1963, President Kennedy left Idlewild Airport after a short stay in New York. Six weeks later, the airport was renamed in his honour.

On December 4, 1963, less than two weeks after Kennedy's death, Mayor Robert Wagner announced that he would submit a bill to the city council to change the name of the airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport. The idea was unofficially approved hours after Kennedy's assassination, but it took some time to get the official approval of his widow, Jackie Kennedy.

On December 18, 1963, the name change was formally approved, and workmen rushed to change all the signs at the airport. Idlewild officially became John F. Kennedy International Airport in a ceremony held on Christmas Eve 1963, a month and two days after the president's assassination.

The airport's IATA code was also changed from IDL to JFK.

Idlewild Airport was built on a golf course

Idlewild Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport, was built on the former site of the Idlewild Golf Course in Queens, New York. The airport was constructed on 1,000 acres of land, which included the golf course, a summer hotel, and a landing strip called the Jamaica Sea-Airport.

The name "Idlewild" was originally a developer's name for a resort and later a golf club on Jamaica Bay. It was used as the unofficial name for the airport in the planning stages during the 1940s, while the City Council and Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia debated on an official name.

Construction of the airport began in 1943, and it opened on July 1, 1948, with a dedication by President Harry S. Truman on July 31, 1948. The airport was designed to relieve LaGuardia Field, which had become overcrowded.

The airport's design was unique and modern, with runways laid out in multiple directions to account for changing winds. The centre of the airport housed terminals and parking lots, covering an area larger than LaGuardia Airport.

In December 1963, the airport was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in honour of the slain president.

Idlewild Airport was the busiest airport in the New York Airport system

Idlewild Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport, was the busiest airport in the New York Airport system. It was built on the site of the Idlewild Beach Golf Course, from which it derived its name. The airport was constructed on a large area of marshland on Jamaica Bay in Queens, New York City, and opened for operations in 1948.

Idlewild Airport was originally intended to relieve LaGuardia Field, which had become overcrowded after its opening in 1939. The new airport was built with six runways and a seventh under construction. By 1954, Idlewild Airport had the highest volume of international air traffic of any airport globally.

The airport underwent several name changes before being officially renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Despite the name changes, many people continued to refer to the airport as "'Idlewild' until its official renaming.

Today, John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) remains a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. It is the busiest of the seven airports in the New York airport system and the sixth-busiest airport in the United States. Over 90 airlines operate from JFK Airport, offering nonstop or direct flights to destinations on all six inhabited continents.

Idlewild Airport was originally named after Major General Alexander E. Anderson

Idlewild Airport, now known as John F. Kennedy International Airport, was originally named after Major General Alexander E. Anderson, a decorated veteran of World War I. Anderson was born in Manhattan in 1889 and joined the National Guard in 1910. He was a member of the "Fighting 69th" regiment, which fought for 164 days in France during World War I. After the war, he returned as a lieutenant colonel, started a successful contracting company, and settled down in Forest Hills, Queens, with his wife and five children.

In 1941, due to overcrowding at LaGuardia Airport, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia announced plans to build a new airport on the site of the Idlewild Beach Golf Course and surrounding properties on Jamaica Bay. In 1943, the airport project was renamed Major General Alexander E. Anderson Airport in honour of Anderson, a Queens resident and commander of a Federalized National Guard unit in the southern United States who had passed away in late 1942.

However, this name change was vetoed by Mayor La Guardia and reinstated by the New York City Council. In March 1948, the City Council once again changed the name, this time to New York International Airport, Anderson Field. Despite these official designations, the airport was commonly known as Idlewild Airport by the public until December 24, 1963, when it was renamed John F. Kennedy International Airport following the assassination of President Kennedy.

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