The original name of Midway Airport was Chicago Air Park and then Municipal Field. It was renamed Midway in 1949 in honor of the Battle of Midway, considered by many to be the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

The first two runways were constructed of cinder. One was 1,200 feet long and the other 1,500 feet. They were both 50 feet wide.

Charles Lindbergh and his Spirit of St. Louis visited Chicago Municipal Airport on August 13, 1927.

The first type of air traffic control occurred in 1929. It was primarily in the form of a "flagman" who would move to the takeoff areas of the different runways depending upon the direction of the wind. Police were also needed in those early days for crowd control due to people's fascination with flying and the lack of security.

George Marshall was an instructor at the 108th Squadron, 33rd Division Illinois Air National Guard at Municipal Airport during the years 1933-1936. Marshall later became President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Chief of Staff, President Truman's Secretary of State, and the creator of "The Marshall Plan" that helped rebuild and feed Europe after World War II.

American Airlines' first DC-2 was put into service on December 1, 1934. It flew between Municipal Airport and Newark, New Jersey.

In 1935, 25% of all U.S. mail was handled through Chicago. By 1941, 25% of all passengers were flying through Chicago.

There were no fences in the early days of Municipal Airport, and at least one pilot would taxi the plane to his family's house and park it in the backyard!

In the late 1930's, a poll of Chicago's residents ranked Municipal Airport the fourth wonder of Chicago. (The top three were the Art Institute, Buckingham Fountain, and the Chicago Stock Yards.)

The U.S. Military assumed supervision of air traffic control of Midway on December 7, 1941.

Marshall Fields' Cloud Room restaurant opened on March 18, 1948 and quickly became a favorite for many airport travelers and visitors. Many nearby residents made it their regular Sunday brunch after church. The Chicken Pot Pie was the favorite menu item for many years.

Midway Airport was nicknamed the "Crossroads of the World" from the late 1940's through the 1950's.

The Blue & Gold Cafe in Midway was a favorite of Frank Sinatra during the stopovers as he flew from one coast to the other.

Helicopter service started at Midway in 1956.

On July 12, 1957 the Midway terminal was flooded with 6 inches of water, parts of runways were under two feet of water, the parking lot was under four feet of water, all phones and electricity were cut off, planes were diverted to O'Hare Field, and thousands of passengers were stranded - all because of a 24-hour storm that dropped 6.24 inches of rain on the area within 24 hours.

A scene from Alfred Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" movie starring Cary Grant was filmed at Midway in 1959.

The City of Chicago purchased Midway Airport from the Board of Education for $16 million on February 28, 1982.

The first covered parking lot was opened at Midway Airport in 1999. It could accommodate up to 3,000 cars.

A new Battle of Midway Memorial was dedicated on June 4, 2001.

Southwest Airlines is the largest airline serving Midway Airport. ATA Airlines now considers Midway its main operations base.

There have been two "incidents" at Midway almost exactly 33 years apart. On December 12, 1972, United Airlines flight 533 crashed into a residential area during landing, killing 43 of the 61 passengers on board and two non-passengers on the ground. On December 8, 2005, Southwest Airlines flight 1248 slid off the runway during a snow storm, through the barrier fence, and killed a six-year-old boy who was a passenger in a car. In both cases, the plane involved was a Boeing 737.