Part of the ubiquity of Boeing’s 747 comes from its adaptability. It has been turned into a cargo carrier, an in-flight refueling station, a presidential jet, and even a super long-range flyer. The latter came at a request by PanAm airlines, looking to beef up their Tokyo-New York route, and by Iran Air, who wanted a flier capable of going nonstop from Tehran to New York. With a few modifications, the incredible 747SP was born.

On this day, January 29, in 1988, a Boeing 747SP on loan to the Friendship Foundation completed an around-the-world flight. It made only two stopovers for resupply – one at Athens, and the other in Taiwan. The 23,000 mile trip took 36 hours and 54 minutes.

While the flight did make it into the record books and did raise money and publicity for the foundation, the record did not stay long. In February of that same year, a Gulfstream IV (a small passenger jet) that was similarly modified for super long-range flight made it around the world, breaking the Boeing 747’s record (and 10 others) in its around-the-world flight.