First non-stop around the world flight

March 2, 1949
After 94 hours, 1 minute of flying time, a Boeing B-50 named Lucky Lady II lands at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, completing the first ever nonstop, around-the-world trip by an airplane.

The flight covered 23,452 miles, averaging a ground speed of 249 miles per hour. The modified bomber required air-to-air refueling four times as it flew ever eastward.

The Lucky Lady II departed Fort Worth, Texas, on Feb. 26 with the express goal of making the first nonstop transglobal flight. The airplane was an updated version of the B-29 that had fought in World War II and was close to being obsolete by 1949.

Jet aircraft were the future. The Boeing B-52, which continues to serve as the mainstay of the U.S. bomber fleet today, would make its first flight just three years later. Despite the fact that officials knew the propeller-driven B-50 would not remain the premier bomber for long, there was a need to send a strong message to an evolving Cold War adversary that the United States military could fly anywhere in the world with one of its aircraft.

World War II established the importance of controlling the skies during a modern conflict. Bombers from the major combatants inflicted devastating damage to cities in Europe and Asia. The ability of an aircraft to fly long distances to deliver a payload of bombs established the importance of the bomber fleet.

After the Soviets blocked land access to Berlin in 1948, the ability to deliver humanitarian assistance further established the importance of being able to fly heavy aircraft for long distances. The Berlin Airlift also made it clear the Cold War had truly begun.
https://www.wired.com/2010/03/0302b50-nonstop-circumnavigation/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady_II