Ordered by the U.S. Army Air Service in 1923, five Douglas World Cruisers were built for the sole purpose of attempting the first circumnavigation of the globe by air. On Sept. 28 four of the original five aircraft returned to Seattle. They had logged 27,553 miles in six months and six days, with an actual flying time of 371 hours. They had touched down in 28 countries and had crossed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The flight was the greatest feat in aviation up to that time and earned the Douglas Aircraft Co. its motto, "First Around the World."