The World Zionist Organization was founded at the initiative of Theodore Herzl at the First Zionist Congress, which took place in August 1897 in Basel, Switzerland.
The birthday of Israeli civil aviation is considered to be September 28, 1948, when the first president of the state, Chaim Weizmann, arrived in Israel from Geneva on board a military aircraft, Douglas C-54 Skymaster, converted for civilian use.
