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Dinner Key took its name from picnickers in the days of sailboats. During World War I it served as a Naval air base. In 1930, Pan American World Airways inaugurated flying boat service to Latin America there, building huge hangars and a terminal, and the U.S. Government dredged the first channel in history especially for aircraft. More than 100,000 visitors a month came to see the giant Flying Clippers. The Coast Guard established a seaplane base in 1932. During World War II, the Navy and Pan American operated flying boats there until Latin American airports built for hemispheric defense made it possible to use more economical landplanes. The City of Miami purchased the key in 1946.
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Miami, Florida · United States
