The Boeing 747 enters commercial service

Today this happened in the past 

January 22, 1970—The Boeing 747 enters commercial service

Pan Am was the first airline to operate the 747. The 747-100 pictured shows the original size of the upper deck and window layout.

The revolutionary new four-engine 747 uses a double deck configuration toward the front of the aircraft. The distinctive hump was designed for an upper deck to serve as a first class lounge or extra seating and to allow the aircraft to be easily converted to a cargo aircraft.

The prototype 747 was first displayed to the public on September 30, 1968

 

First Lady Pat Nixon visits the cockpit of the first commercial 747 during the christening ceremony, January 15, 1970

 

On the 747-100 and 747-200, a spiral staircase connected the main and upper decks

 According to Wikipedia,

The 747 was expected to become obsolete after 400 were sold, but it exceeded critics' expectations with production passing the 1,000 mark in 1993. By December 2016, 1,528 aircraft had been built, with 28 of the 747-8 variants remaining on order.

 

Cockpit of the 747-100

The 747 was the widest airliner since the Boeing 314 flying boat of the late 1930s. Source: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

 And now a look at what was in that hump

American Airlines economy class piano bar, located at the rear of the 747-100 cabin.

 AmereicanAirline commercial