
Pan-American, or Pan Am, is a term that refers to the Americas as a collective, including North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean. The term is also associated with a former international airline carrier based in the United States, Pan American Airways, Inc., which was founded in 1927 and ceased operations in December 1991. Pan Am was known for its pioneering transpacific, transatlantic, and round-the-world flights, and played a significant role in the history of international commercial aviation.
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Pan-American Airways
Pan American Airways, Incorporated (PAA) and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an international airline carrier and the principal and largest international air carrier of the United States for much of the 20th century. It was founded in 1927 by United States Army Air Corps officers Henry "Hap" Arnold, Carl Spaatz, and John Jouett, initially as a shell company in response to the growing influence of the German-owned Colombian air carrier SCADTA in Central America.
In the spring of 1927, the United States Post Office requested bids for a contract to deliver mail from Key West, Florida, to Havana, Cuba, by October 19, 1927. Arnold and Spaatz drew up the prospectus for Pan American Airways, and they were ultimately awarded the contract. On October 19, 1927, Pan Am flew mail from Key West to Havana, thus beginning its storied history.
In 1928, Pan Am merged with two other companies, the Aviation Corporation of the Americas (ACA) and Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean Airways, which had also been established to bid for the mail delivery contract. The merged entity retained the name Pan American Airways, with ACA's Juan Trippe becoming the operational head of the new company.
In the 1930s, Pan Am pioneered the famous "'Clipper'" series of Sikorsky, Martin, and Boeing flying boats, which were larger than the previous eight-passenger aircraft and could fly longer distances. In 1936, the airline opened the first transpacific passenger service with the China Clipper, a romantic age of luxurious air travel. In 1939, Pan American made its inaugural transatlantic passenger flight.
Even after its monopoly on international air travel ended following World War II, Pan Am continued to define the future of commercial flight, introducing new technologies such as the jet airplane and computerized reservation systems. It was the first airline to fly worldwide and introduced the first American jetliner in 1958.
Pan Am ceased operations in 1991, but it remains a cultural icon of the 20th century, known for its blue globe logo, the use of the word "Clipper" in its aircraft names and call signs, and the white uniform caps of its pilots.
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Pan-American Music Initiative
The Pan-American Music Initiative (PAMI) is a five-year effort launched in the 2021/22 season by Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil. The initiative aims to ""build bridges of understanding" between cultures through music and artistry. It features more than 30 new commissions, recording projects, and creative collaborations.
The initiative's performances bring the exciting sounds of Afro-Cuban dance music to the orchestral stage, showcasing the work of MacArthur Genius Grant winner and composer Dafnis Prieto, dynamic Latin dance band People of Earth, and the musicians of the LA Phil. The performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall tells the story of a young dancer discovering her art, passions, and capabilities as she moves to Prieto's music. The audience learns about the unique sounds and flavours that make Latin dance music special and expands their expectations of orchestral concert halls.
The Pan-American Music Initiative also includes self-guided art activities and fun for all ages, creating a memorable morning of musical celebration for children and families.
The second season of this musical celebration features music by Arturo Márquez, Gabriela Ortiz, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and more. Members of the LA Phil take centre stage as soloists in two sublime Mozart works, and Dudamel leads Orbón’s grand orchestral showpiece.
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Pan-American Health Organisation
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is the world's first and oldest international public health agency, founded in 1902 as the Pan-American Sanitary Bureau. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO), serving as the Regional Office for the Americas. PAHO is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has 27 country offices and three Pan American centres in the region. It is also known as the OPS in Latin America and OPAS in Portuguese.
PAHO's primary role is to foster technical cooperation among its 35 member states and four associate members in the region. It works with countries to improve and protect people's health, focusing on fighting communicable and non-communicable diseases, strengthening health systems, and responding to emergencies and disasters. PAHO promotes evidence-based decision-making and knowledge translation strategies, such as the Evidence-Informed Policy Network (EVIPNet), to inform healthcare policies and improve health outcomes.
Specific initiatives led by PAHO include the expanded immunisation program, which played a significant role in eradicating smallpox and polio from the Americas, and global efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. PAHO also addresses health systems and quality of care issues, supporting national responses to the NCD pandemic. Additionally, it executes projects for other UN agencies, international organisations, development cooperation agencies, and philanthropic foundations.
PAHO has facilitated multi-country health ventures and collaborations in Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean Region, and the Southern Cone. One notable example is the solidarity demonstrated by Latin American and Caribbean countries coming together over 20 years ago to purchase vaccines through a revolving fund. PAHO also works to strengthen partnerships with national, regional, and global actors to enhance disaster preparedness, protect health services, and promote health as a driver of sustainable development.
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Pan-American Games
The Pan American Games, also known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes from nations in the Americas. The games are conducted every four years, always one year before the Olympic Games. The Pan American Games are organised by the Organization Deportiva Panamericana (ODEPA). The Pan American Sport Organisation (PASO) is recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The first Pan American Games were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1951. The games had been planned since 1940 but were delayed due to World War II. The 2019 edition of the games involved 6,680 competitors from 41 countries. The most recent event was the XIX Pan American Games, held in Santiago from 20 October to 5 November 2023. The XX Pan American Games will be held in 2027.
The Pan American Games include all the sports contested in the Summer Olympic Games. In addition, the games also include traditional and popular sports throughout the Americas that are not contested at the Olympics, such as bowling and baseball. As of 2015, the Pan American Games included 36 sports with 51 disciplines and 364 events. The number and kinds of events may change slightly from one edition to the next. For example, surfing was added to the 2019 Pan American Games at the request of the organising committee.
The Parapan American Games are held immediately following the Pan American Games. Medals are awarded on a per-event basis, with gold, silver, and bronze medals going to the first, second, and third-place finishers, respectively. The host city is responsible for organising and funding the games and is chosen by PASO.
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Pan-American (train)
The Pan-American was a train service provided by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, to New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1921 until 1971. It was named in recognition of the significant traffic the L&N carried to and from the Gulf of Mexico seaports, hauling Central and South American goods through Gulf Coast ports.
The Pan-American was a fairly successful operation, providing reliable, efficient, and friendly service between the Gulf Coast and Midwest for over five decades. It was originally a heavyweight operation but was upgraded with various equipment throughout its years of service. The train was listed for years as trains #99 (southbound) and #98 (northbound) on the L&N timetable, but in its final days, the train was changed to #9 and #8 respectively.
The train proved popular with the travelling public, and in 1925 it was re-equipped as an "All-Pullman" (no coaches) train. Its popularity contributed to businesses being named after it, such as the Pan-American Lunch Room, which operated in Nashville, Tennessee, in the 1920s. The economic pressures of the Great Depression forced the Pan-American to start carrying coaches again in 1933.
The Pan-American experienced a surge in ridership during World War II, carrying four times its normal traffic. It lost its status as the L&N's flagship train in 1946 with the introduction of the faster, fully streamlined Humming Bird over the same route. The L&N began updating the train with older, streamlined equipment in 1949, and in 1953 it received new lightweight "Pine"-series sleeping cars from Pullman-Standard.
By the 1960s, the decline of passenger railroading in the United States took its toll on ridership and amenities. The railroad's interest in passenger service had waned significantly after the 1950s, and the public's interest shifted towards the independence of the highway and the speed of the airliner. The Pan-American ended operations on April 30, 1971, one day before Amtrak started its operations.
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Frequently asked questions
Pan-American refers to the independent republics of North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
The term Pan-American comes from the Greek prefix "Pan-", meaning "all", and "American", referring to the Americas.
Pan Am was a former international airline carrier and the world's leading international carrier since 1928, offering flights to cities in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The company went bankrupt and ceased operations in December 1991.
The Pan-American Music Initiative is a project led by conductor Dudamel, which involves a work for orchestra and choir by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid and Angélica Negrón’s Cello Concerto with Yo-Yo Ma.











































