Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines began in 1924 as a crop dusting company, based first in Macon, Georgia, and then Monroe, Louisiana. C.E. Woolman led a group of investors in buying the company in 1928 and renamed it Delta Air Service. Passenger service began between Dallas, Texas, and Jackson, Mississippi, on June 17, 1929. A year later, Delta expanded passenger service east to Atlanta and west to Fort Worth.  In 1941, Delta moved its corporate headquarters to Atlanta. Under Woolman and successive leaders, the company grew through a series of mergers that expanded routes across the U.S. and around the world. As one of Georgia's most famous corporate residents, Delta played a crucial role in Atlanta's rise as an international city and commercial hub.