Congressional Airport
Congressional Airport was a 40-acre (16 ha)[3] airfield, located in what is now Rockville, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., used for the Civilian Pilot Training Program.[9] That same month, the airport expanded, leasing land from the adjacent farm of Peter Wagner,[10] making it one of the largest airfields in Maryland.[15] During World War II, the First Fighter Command of the United States Air Force closed the airport to civilian flying from August 1942 to June 1945, because it was within the vital defense area.[19] In 1935, Maryland Governor Harry W. Nice signed a bill requiring all existing airstrips to apply for licenses and renew them every four years.[20] When Congressional Airport asked the State Aviation Commission how to apply for a license two weeks later, nearby residents immediately protested and requested a hearing.[23] In May 1936, Helen Richey, flying a light plane,[24] set an international altitude record for aircraft weighing under 200 kilograms (440 lb).[39][40] Two years later, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, or national origin in hotels, motels, restaurants, theaters, and all other public accommodations.