Air Force Birthday
The official birthday of the Air Force falls on September 18th every year. The official Air Force Birthday commemorates the passage of the National Security Act of 1947—an act which, among other things, established the United States Air Force. Before this act, most military flying operations were handled by the United States Army over land and by the United States Navy overseas.
It’s a holiday that’s mainly celebrated by this branch of the military but can also be observed by anyone wishing to give thanks to service members who serve in this branch.
The History of the United States Air Force
With the implementation of the National Security Act of 1947, the United States Air Force was officially established. Before this act went into effect, there were three branches of the U.S. military, and these branches included the U.S. Army, the Navy, and the Marine Corps.
This branch of the service was created after it was seen how valuable the contributions of the U.S. Army Air Forces were to the war effort during WWII.
Interesting Facts About the U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force is an often overlooked branch of the U.S. military—although its operations are vital to strategic U.S. operations. This branch of the military is also one of the most fascinating of all the military branches, as our exploration of some interesting U.S. Air Force facts will highlight.
The U.S. Air Force and the CIA Share a Birthday
One fact that many people don’t realize is that the United States Air Force and the Central Intelligence Agency both share a birthday. They were both created by the National Security Act of 1947, so both of their birthdays fall on September 18th every year.
The U.S. Air Force Built a Sony Playstation Supercomputer
In 2006, the U.S. Air Force built a supercomputer from 1,760 Sony Playstation 3 consoles. This supercomputer is located in Rome, New York, and is known as the Condor Cluster. Why did the Air Force use PS3 consoles to create a supercomputer?
They did it because, at the time, PS3 consoles cost approximately $400 each, and comparable technology cost over $10,000. The Condor Cluster is the 33rd most powerful supercomputer in the world and is capable of performing 500 trillion floating-point operations per second.
Celebrating Air Force Birthday
On this day, the U.S. Air Force usually celebrates its birthday with various air demonstrations all over the United States. There are demonstrations of a variety of aircraft on this day, skilled performances by the Thunderbirds precision air combat team, and other types of airshows. There are also usually parades and other events on this day.
This day isn’t just a holiday that’s observed by the U.S. Air Force in honor of itself. It’s also a holiday that can be enjoyed by civilians as well. People wishing to participate in the activities of this day can do so by giving thanks to people who serve or by attending one of the parades that are held on this day.
