-O'Hare Intl
A Journey Through Time
1944 — 1993
1940s
1944
O'Hare began as Orchard Place Airport, a manufacturing site for Douglas C-54 military transports during World War II. Its IATA code ORD comes from the original name "Orchard."
1960s
1963
O'Hare became the world's busiest airport in 1963, handling 10 million passengers annually. It was renamed after Lt. Commander Edward "Butch" O'Hare, a Medal of Honor recipient.
1990s
1993
The International Terminal 5 opened in 1993, and O'Hare became the first airport in the US to feature the automated people mover system connecting all terminals.
Present