The experimental-and by this time militarily obsolete-Douglas XB-19 bomber is flown for the first time by Army Air Forces Lt. Col. Stanley Umstead and Maj. Howard G. Bunker (with a crew of five) at Clover Field, Santa Monica, Calif. The XB-19, with a wingspan of 212 feet, a length of 132 feet, and a height of 42 feet is the largest aircraft built until the B-36 six years later.
The U.S. military struck over 1,000 targets on the first day of its air campaign against Iran, unleashing enormous firepower in the opening 24 hours of Operation Epic Fury.
