50th anniversary of O’Hare dedication celebrated

CHICAGO — It was 50 years ago on March 23, that President John F. Kennedy dedicated Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, calling it “one of the wonders of the modern world.”

The city of Chicago will begin celebrating that dedication on today, March 23, with live music being performed at each of the airport’s terminals. The airport will also welcome the 51st airline serving the facility. Airberliner will inaugurate nonstop air service between Chicago and Berlin.

At the time of Kennedy’s visit, O’Hare served 16 million passengers a year, making it the world’s busiest. Now serving more than 62 million passengers, O’Hare is now the world’s fourth busiest.

Known as Orchard Field and home to an aircraft assembly plant, the airport was renamed in 1949 in honor of World War II Navy pilot Edward O’Hare.