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This Happened—January 22: The World's First "Jumbo Jet"

On this day in 1970, Boeing 747, the world's first "jumbo jet", enters commercial service in on a Pan Am flight from New York to London.

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How much did the Boeing 747 cost?

Pan Am head Juan Trippe sought an efficient way to place 400 passengers on one plane. By 1968, the program cost $1 billion, or over $7 billion today.

What was the reaction to the Boeing 747?

Some described it as being as big as a church, while the San Francisco Chronicle called it a "bulbous-nosed whale with wings". People were generally in shock about the size of the plane, impressed that it could carry hundreds of passengers.

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

A Critical Putin Miscalculation: The West's Support Of Ukraine Holds Firm

Vladimir Putin thought the West would wind up divided over the backing of Ukraine. Yet a year later with new survey numbers out, and more aid flowing to Kyiv, this appears to be one of the most crucial errors in launching his invasion.

Photo of a person draped in a Ukraine flag standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, lit up in yellow and blue to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine

In front of the Eiffel Tower, lit up in yellow and blue to mark the one-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine

Pierre Haski

-Analysis-

PARIS — Among the many miscalculations of Vladimir Putin in this conflict don't forget his poor evaluation of European public opinion. The sudden rise in energy prices in the early weeks of the war led the Kremlin — and its political allies — to hope for the emergence of a popular movement opposed to support for Ukraine. This did not happen anywhere in Europe.

Where Russia was not wrong, however, was in gauging the reaction in what we call the Global South, where Westerners are paying the price for so much arrogance of the past. In these countries, the rulers are in line with a popular opinion that does not have the same critical view of Russian action.

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Multiple studies support this observation, where the West's stance is supported at home, but continues to be weakened on the global stage.

In Europe, things are clear.

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