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Pikachu

Pikachu (ピカチュウ) is a fictional species of the Pokémon media franchise. Designed by Atsuko Nishida and Ken Sugimori, Pikachu first appeared in the 1996 Japanese video games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green created by Game Freak and Nintendo, which were released outside of Japan in 1998 as Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. Pikachu is a yellow, mouse-like creature with electrical abilities. It is a major character in the Pokémon franchise, serving as its mascot.

Pikachu is widely considered to be the most popular and well-known Pokémon species, largely due to its appearance in the Pokémon anime television series as the companion of series protagonist Ash Ketchum. In most vocalized appearances Pikachu is voiced by Ikue Ōtani, though it has been portrayed by other actors, such as actor Ryan Reynolds, who portrayed Pikachu in the live-action animated film Detective Pikachu. Pikachu has been well-received by critics, with particular praise given for to its cute design, and it has been regarded as an icon of both the Pokémon franchise and Japanese pop culture as a whole.

Overview
Pikachu is a fictional species of Pokémon created for the Pokémon franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution.

Pikachu are based around the concept of electricity and they attack primarily by projecting electricity from their bodies at their targets. Within the context of the franchise, Pikachu can transform, or "evolve," into a Raichu when exposed to a "Thunder Stone." In Pokémon Gold and Silver, "Pichu" was introduced as an evolutionary predecessor to Pikachu. Pikachu's appearance differs by gender; male Pikachu have a straight end to their tails, while female Pikachu's tails have a heart-shaped appearance.

Pikachu's design was initially pudgier in build, but changed overtime to have a slimmer waist, straighter spine, and more defined face and neck; Sugimori has stated these design changes originated in the anime, making Pikachu easier to animate, and were adopted to the games for consistency. The design, nicknamed "Fat Pikachu" by fans of the series, was revisited in Pokémon Sword and Shield, where Pikachu received a special in-battle "Gigantamax" form resembling its original design.

Ikue Ōtani has voiced the character since it first appeared in the Pokémon anime. In the anime series, Pikachu only speaks using its name. Ōtani records new lines for many of Pikachu's reappearances, and stated that despite the similar dialogue “If you don’t have a clear understanding of what you want to say in the scene and come up with a plan for your performance, you won’t convey anything... Because, if there’s the same nuance, then it would just be OK to use [previously] recorded material.” Initially, it was planned for Pikachu to slowly become more adept at human speech as the series progressed, but these plans were dropped during production of the series. Ōtani voiced the character in the main series video games starting in Pokémon X and Y, though her voice was replaced by Pikachu's original digitized "cry" in the main series since Pokémon Legends: Arceus. This cry had previously been used to represent Pikachu audibly in the main series games prior to X and Y. Ōtani voices the role in all languages which is unlike other Pokémon voice actors, where the actor is different in each country's anime dub. According to series director Junichi Masuda, Pikachu's voice was kept consistent across languages so Pikachu's name would be universal across the world. Ōtani reprised the role in every installment of the fighting game crossover series Super Smash Bros..

In video games and anime
Pikachu has appeared in all main series Pokémon video games with the sole exceptions of Pokémon Black and White and its sequel. Pikachu features prominently Pokémon anime series and films, which focus on the adventures of series protagonist Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu. Ash's Pikachu is initially disobedient, but after Ash saves it from a flock of Spearow, it warms up to Ash, and the pair become friends. Ash journeys to train and capture Pokémon while the members of the villainous organization Team Rocket attempt to steal Ash's Pikachu.

The game Pokémon Yellow features a Pikachu, which is given to the player as their first Pokémon. Based on Ash Ketchum's Pikachu from the Pokémon anime, it refuses to stay in its Poké Ball, and instead follows the main character around on screen. The player character can speak to it, and it displays different reactions depending on how it is treated. Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, which are inspired by Yellow, have Pikachu as a starter in one of its two versions. This starter Pikachu has access to several secret techniques and exclusive moves, which are used to progress throughout the game. Seven forms of Pikachu, which wore caps belonging to Ash Ketchum across different seasons of the anime, were released in the games Pokémon Sun and Moon as well as their Ultra versions via special event distributions, with another round of distributions in Pokémon Sword and Shield additionally adding one with Ash's cap from Pokémon Journeys: The Series.

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire introduced five new forms of Pikachu, labelled "Cosplay Pikachu" which wore different outfits and could be used in in-game competitions known as "Pokémon Contests." Pokémon Sun and Moon games also released two Z-Crystals exclusive to Pikachu, which allow Pikachu to use special, one-time use attacks that are more powerful than standard attacks.

Outside of the main series, Pikachu stars in Hey You, Pikachu! for the Nintendo 64; the player interacts with Pikachu through a microphone, issuing commands to play various mini-games and act out situations. The game Pokémon Channel follows a similar premise of interacting with the Pikachu, though without the microphone. PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure and its sequel, PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond, features a Pikachu as the main protagonist. The game Detective Pikachu features a talking Pikachu who becomes a detective and helps the protagonist Tim Goodman to solve mysteries.

Pikachu appear the games Pokémon Snap and its sequel, New Pokémon Snap, games where the player takes pictures of Pokémon for a score. A Pikachu is one of the sixteen starters and ten partners in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. Pikachu has appeared in all five Super Smash Bros. crossover fighting games as a playable character, and in the Pokémon fighting game Pokkén Tournament, in both its normal form and as "Pikachu Libre", based on "Cosplay Pikachu" from Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Pikachu has also appeared in other games, such as Pokémon Unite, Pokémon Rumble World, Pokémon Go, and Pokémon Café Mix.

Following the anime season Pokémon Ultimate Journeys, which concludes the story of Ash and his Pikachu and retires them as main cast members, another Pikachu named "Captain Pikachu" was introduced as a major character in the follow-up series Pokémon Horizons, which featured an entirely new cast of characters. Ōtani portrayed the role of Captain Pikachu. Taito Okiura, the vice president of marketing for The Pokémon Company International, stated that Pikachu would "continue to have a significant presence in the animated series and remain an icon for the brand".

In other media
In the 2019 film Detective Pikachu, a detective Pikachu is voiced by Ryan Reynolds. For the 2019 live action film Detective Pikachu, the titular character was portrayed by Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds performed the character's voice work, and also did motion capture for the character's face and movements. Due to not being on set, co-star Justice Smith would often act his scenes out to an eyeline representing Pikachu, such as a puppet or a tennis ball. Pikachu's visual appearance in the film was built as if the character was an actual animal, with the visual effects team creating detailed skeletal and muscular systems for the Pokémon. They visited zoos and consulted animal experts in order to ensure Pikachu's movements were accurate to real world animals. Pikachu initially started with rabbit-like movement, but eventually evolved movement-wise to have characteristics of multiple species, namely those of marsupials and marmosets. Its eyes were inspired by those of the sugar glider. In order to ensure the design maintained a line between realism and uncanniness, Pikachu's fur frequently changed design. The team would often bring patches of fur to filming locations to see how the colors would respond to the area's lighting. Hidetoshi Nishijima portrays Detective Pikachu's voice in the Japanese dub of the film. Pierre Tessier voices the character in the French dub of the film. Ōtani voiced the character in a brief cameo appearance. This appearance was retained in all language versions barring the German dubbing of the film, which used a slightly deeper and more out of breath version of the dialogue.

Pikachu is featured in a 2021 Katy Perry music video, "Electric". In the Pokémon Adventures manga, main character Red owns and uses a Pikachu. Other manga series, such as Electric Tale of Pikachu, and Ash & Pikachu, feature Ash Ketchum's Pikachu from the anime series. In Electric Tale of Pikachu, Ash gives him the name "Jean Luc Pikachu", a reference to Jean-Luc Picard from the Star Trek franchise.

Concept and design
During the development of Pokémon Red and Blue, lead designer Ken Sugimori felt that the game needed more "cute" designs and sought the input of female Game Freak staff such as Atsuko Nishida. Nishida was tasked with developing the Pikachu species and its evolutionary line with specific gameplay guidelines in mind: its role as an Electric-type, that it evolved twice, and that the final form "look strong". Nishida stated that the initial concept, done in sprite form, resembled a "daifuku with ears sticking out of it." Its yellow coloring was selected in order to emphasize the electricity motif in its design.

Nishida stated that she was fond of squirrels at the time of Pikachu's conception, and so designed several elements of Pikachu to resemble squirrels, such as Pikachu's cheek pouches, which resembled a squirrel's. Pikachu's tail was shaped like a lightning bolt, being based around both a squirrel's tail and the concept of a lightning bolt. Series creator Satoshi Tajiri named the creature. The name is derived from a combination of two Japanese onomatopoeia: ピカピカ (pikapika), a sparkling sound, and チューチュー (chūchū), a sound a mouse makes. Developer Junichi Masuda noted Pikachu's name as one of the most difficult to create, due to an effort of wanting to make it appealing to both Japanese and American audiences. Koji Nishino worked with Nishida in the development process, and grew fond of Pikachu as a result. He thus made it more difficult to find in-game; however, its rarity only made it more popular with players.

Originally after evolving into Raichu, Raichu was then going to evolve into a Pokémon called "Gorochu." Gorochu was cut due to cartridge space concerns, leaving Raichu to be Pikachu's sole evolution through use of the game's "Thunder Stone" item. The American staff responsible for bringing Pokémon Red and Blue to the United States initially pitched to the team to redesign "cute" Pokémon in order to appeal to an American audience, with Pikachu being suggested a redesign described by Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of The Pokémon Company, as "something like a tiger with huge breasts. It looked like a character from the musical Cats." This suggestion was scrapped, and Pikachu used the same design in the west as it did in Japan.

Initially considered alongside Clefairy as lead characters for franchise merchandising, Pikachu emerged as the mascot of the animated series due to its popularity amongst schoolchildren and appeal to both boys and girls. It was also selected for the role due to the fact that picking one of Pokémon Red and Blue's three starter Pokémon- Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle- would've created a "gap" with children who did not select the one used in the anime.

Pikachu has been voiced by several other voice actors since its debut. Kaiji Tang portrays Detective Pikachu in English in the video games Detective Pikachu and Detective Pikachu Returns. Tōru Ōkawa portrays the character in Detective Pikachu in Japanese, while Koichi Yamadera portrays the character in Japanese in Detective Pikachu Returns. Kate Bristol briefly portrayed the character in Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, in a scene where Pikachu speaks to Ash. Bristol stated that she did her best to mimic Ōtani's performance for the scene. Abby Espiritu additionally voiced Pikachu in the short web series Pokémon: Path to the Peak.

Promotion and merchandise
As the mascot of the franchise, Pikachu has made multiple appearances in various promotional events and merchandise. In 1998, then Topeka, Kansas Mayor Joan Wagnon renamed the town "ToPikachu" for a day, and the renaming was repeated in 2018 by Mayor Michelle De La Isla with the release of the Pokémon Let's Go games. Another promotional stunt, to promote Pokémon's debut in the United States, involved dropping 700 Pikachu plushes into a field by plane, while skydivers leapt from the planes and drove off in Pikachu themed cars. A "got milk?" advertisement featured Pikachu on April 25, 2000. A Pikachu balloon has been featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since 2001, with different balloon designs being introduced since. Pikachu was the subject of an internet meme, known as "Surprised Pikachu," where a screencap of Pikachu looking shocked in an episode of the anime is used as a reaction image.

Collectible cards featuring Pikachu have appeared since the initial Pokémon Trading Card Game released in October 1996, including limited edition promotional cards. One of these collectible cards was "Pikachu Illustrator", limited to about 20-40 printed in 1998, and was auctioned off for about $55,000 in 2016, and then $375,000 in 2021. Another card, sold in 2022, went for nearly a million dollars. For the franchise's 25th anniversary, The Pokémon Company announced special trading cards in 2021, each featuring 25 Pikachu drawn by 25 artists. A promotion at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam featured exclusive Pokémon Cards of Pikachu wearing Van Gogh's grey felt hat. It was pulled from the exhibition due to safety concerns after scalpers mobbed the store when it came out. Several employees at the museum were suspended due to reported embezzlement of a large number of the cards. The card was later restocked in an attempt to dissuade scalpers, who had been re-selling cards at high prices. The character has also been used in promotional merchandising at fast-food chains such as McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King.

Pikachu and ten other Pokémon were chosen as Japan's mascots in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. ANA Boeing 747-400 (JA8962) planes have been covered with images of Pokémon including Pikachu since 1998. In 2021, the first Pokémon Jet (Boeing 747-400D) featuring entirely Pikachu debuted.

Critical reception
Pikachu has been well-received by reviewers; it was ranked as the "second best person of the year" by Time in 1999, who called it "the most beloved animated character since Hello Kitty". The magazine noted Pikachu as the "public face of a phenomenon that has spread from Nintendo's fastest selling video game to a trading-card empire", citing the franchise's profits for the year as "the reason for the ranking", behind singer Ricky Martin but ahead of author J.K. Rowling. Pikachu has consistently been considered one of the most notable and influential anime, cartoon, and video game characters since its debut. The character has been regarded as the Japanese answer to Mickey Mouse, with Polygon writer Tracey Lien noting that its ubiquity and iconic design helped endear it to audiences, allowing it to attain significant popularity. It was noted as being part of a movement of "cute capitalism". In 2024, a poll conducted by BAFTA with around 4,000 respondents named Pikachu as the twelfth most iconic video-game character of all time. Zack Zwiezen of Kotaku praised the simplicity of Pikachu's design, describing it as "possibly one of the most iconic characters on the planet" due to the design's appealing features and "instantly identifiable" design. Dale Bishir of IGN described Pikachu as the most important Pokémon that impacted the franchise's history, and further stated that "Its irresistible cuteness, merchandising power, army of clones in every generation... if your mom calls every Pokémon 'Pikachu', then you know in your heart that it is the most important Pokémon of all time." Pikachu's resemblance to a cute pet was cited as making its design appealing. Its usage of the color yellow made it easy for children to recognize due to being a primary color. Additionally, the only other competing yellow mascot at the time was Winnie-the-Pooh, which helped Pikachu's popularity significantly. The book 100 Greatest Video Game Characters noted that Pikachu's cute design and the emphasis on friendship in its various appearances across Pokémon media helped with making Pikachu a memorable character in the minds of fans. Time Magazine named Pikachu as one of the twelve most influential video game characters of all time, lauding its appearance as the "most recognizable and beloved sidekick in pop culture."

Pikachu's role in the anime has been subject of praise and analysis. Pikachu's friendship with Ash has been analyzed for its similarities to Aristotle's values of friendship, with the reciprocal friendship between the two being highlighted due to the equality between them being the reason for their success. Pikachu's voice has been analyzed for its ability to convey emotion despite only speaking one word, with children being able to determine the emotion of the character based off of how the character sounds. Writer Kallie Plagge, writing for GameSpot, criticized Pikachu talking in a scene in the film Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You!, stating that it undermined the "literal unspoken bond" between Ash and Pikachu, and that Pikachu was able to effectively communicate with Ash without the need for spoken dialogue. Ash's Pikachu's departure was also met with positive responses, due to the fact that its departure alleviated concerns about how its strength would be handled as the series progressed. The hashtag "#ThankYouAshAndPikachu" trended on Twitter following the announcement of their departure.

In 2016, it was announced that the name of Pikachu and other Pokémon in Hong Kong would be changed in order to unify the names of Pokémon across the various Chinese languages. More than 6000 people signed a petition to keep the names of the Pokémon the same, citing the decision as ignoring Hong Kong's culture, with activist group Civic Passion stating that "Pikachu has been in Hong Kong for more than 20 years... It is not simply a game or comic book, it is the collective memory of a generation." Protests were held, deriding the change in name. Nintendo's Hong Kong office responded by stating that all Chinese Pokémon fans should adopt the unified pronunciation. A later statement clarified that they did not intend to limit pronunciations, and that despite the unified pronunciation being the "official" one, they stated there was no limit on how people could pronounce the character's name.

Kotaku writer Patricia Hernandez criticized Pikachu's over-representation in Pokémon-related media, highlighting Pikachu's constant usage in marketing for the franchise. She stated that Pikachu's overuse detracted from other Pokemon in the series, while also criticizing the overuse for its lack of originality. She further compared it to Mimikyu- a Pokémon who mimics Pikachu in an attempt to be loved- stating that the reason for Mimikyu's popularity inherently lay in how much people were subconsciously aware of Pikachu's overuse. TheGamer 's Stacey Henley cited similar sentiments, believing Pikachu's consistent presence in marketing had made it an uninteresting Pokémon and an ineffective mascot, disliking its consistent presence in games over other Pokémon.

Cultural impact
In 2008, a ligand believed to provide better visual acuity was discovered by the Osaka Bioscience Institute Foundation and named "Pikachurin", in reference to the nimbleness of Pikachu. The name was inspired due to Pikachu's "lightning-fast moves and shocking electric effects". In 2021, the Chilean independent politician Giovanna Grandón famously went to many protests during the 2019–2021 Chilean protests dressed in an inflatable Pikachu suit. She went on to be elected as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 2021–2022, and is known as Aunt Pikachu (Tía Pikachú). In July 2021 during the Group of Seven climate summit, a group of protestors dressed as Pikachu demonstrated on Gyllyngvase Beach, Falmouth, while in November 2021, a group of activists dressed up as Pikachu to protest Japan's refusal to reduce coal consumption at COP26.

In 2016, the Pikachu, also known as the Pokemonument, a fiberglass sculpture depicting Pikachu by an unknown artist, was installed in Lower Garden District, a New Orleans neighborhood. The 5 ft statue of the Japanese icon was erected as an apparent tribute to Pokémon Go on July 31, 2016, in a decommissioned fountain along Terpsichore Street. and was a fiberglass sculpture coated to look like bronze. Within a few days, the sculpture was vandalized by someone with a baseball bat, but repaired. Some two weeks after its placement, the "Pokemonument" was removed, and an online statement from the artist said that the artwork would be auctioned to benefit restoration of the park's fountains.

title: Pikachu


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Fort Wayne International Airport

Fort Wayne International Airport lies eight miles southwest of Fort Wayne, in Allen County, Indiana, United States. It is owned by the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority.

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings (enplanements) per year. Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 359,800 enplanements in calendar year 2022, 7.15% more than 2021. Based on passenger enplanements, Fort Wayne International ranked #147 out of the 539 airports in the United States that received scheduled passenger airline service in 2022. As such, the airport is classified by the FAA as a "nonhub", or an airport that has between 10,000 and 400,000 enplanements per year.

The airport has one terminal, the Lieutenant Paul Baer Terminal. Passenger flights reach seven airline hubs of Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, and Minneapolis-Saint Paul, along with flights to Orlando, Punta Gorda (serving Fort Myers and Sarasota), Tampa, Phoenix, and seasonal service to Myrtle Beach, Sarasota, and Las Vegas. Together, flights from the airport to these fourteen cities serve over 790,000 combined arriving and departing passengers per year.

The airport has a 600000 sqft air cargo center on the southwest side. The center was occupied by Kitty Hawk Aircargo, which had a hub at Fort Wayne until October 30, 2007, shortly after the carrier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The former Kitty Hawk hub is now used by several aviation and non-aviation companies including Logistics Insight, FedEx Express, and Spinach Ball.

Baer Army Air Base & Baer Field
The airport was built at a cost of $10 million as a United States Army Air Corps base just before World War II. A coalition of city business interests arranged to purchase a series of contiguous land parcels outside of Fort Wayne, demolish the existing structures, and present a unified parcel to the War Department in a short enough period to meet a competitive deadline for the Development of Landing Areas for National Defense (DLAND) initiative while preserving civilian access to the existing Paul Baer Municipal Airport (now Smith Field) on the north side of the city. War Department policy at the time required that bases and airfields be named for deceased military aviators, so other suggestions were rejected, and the department chose to name the new facility for Paul Frank Baer, a Fort Wayne native and World War I flying ace and early official for the Aeronautics Branch of the United States Department of Commerce (now the Federal Aviation Administration). The original airport had been named for Baer while he was still living, but he had since died in a seaplane accident in Shanghai while carrying mail and passengers for the China National Aviation Corporation. The War Department's name choice necessitated a change of name for the municipal airport to avoid confusion, and city leaders elected to rename it for Art Smith, a pioneering airmail pilot, also a native of Fort Wayne, who also died in the course of his airmail duties.

Operations began in April 1941 under the name Baer Army Air Base, when Maj. Wilson T. Douglas of the Quartermaster Corps arrived as the base quartermaster. The weather station was activated in August of that year, and the 13th Service Squadron was transferred from Chanute Field. The band arrived in October, and in November the 103 Communications Squadron arrived and the base was activated as Baer Field. The ordnance company departed in December, eventually reaching Port Moresby in New Guinea in February of the following year. The 307th Pursuit Squadron, which was activated in January, 1942, flying Bell P-39 Airacobra and Curtis P-40 Warhawk training aircraft. Once training was completed, the unit was sent to Atcham in England. On December 7, 1941, a month after Baer Field was activated, the Japanese Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service struck Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, causing the United States to formally declare war the following day.

Later in 1942, the Army Air Corps became the United States Army Air Forces. Over 100,000 military personnel served out of Baer Field and its more than one hundred structures during the war. A large number of ground and air squadrons trained at the facility before deployment to the European and Asiatic-Pacific Theaters of operations.

In December 1945, the facility was put on Temporary Inactive status, and in 1946 its name reverted to Baer Army Air Base. By January 1947, the base had shrunk to a small Air Communications Service detachment under Maj. Phillip Cartwright, consisting of the major and two other officers and no enlisted men, was concerned primarily with the storage and transfer of base records. The base was determined to be surplus to the needs of the War Department, except for areas reserved for reserve and Air National Guard activity. Thereafter, the base was used sporadically for the Army Air Forces Reserve and Air Force Reserve training until 1951, the base was again in use for the 163rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron, joined later that year by the 122nd Fighter Wing from Stout Army Air Field. Since the Korean War, the base has mostly hosted Indiana Air National Guard units but has occasionally hosted active-duty units like the 434th Air Refueling Wing (previously the 434th Tactical Airlift Wing) on a temporary basis.

The oldest original Baer Army Air Field hangar, Hangar No. 40, was in use from World War II until 2012. Hangar No. 40's final tenant was FedEx Express, who used it until the hangar was damaged in a weather-related incident. After the damage to Hangar No. 40, FedEx moved into a portion of the former Kitty Hawk hub. Hangar No. 40 was demolished between March and April 2013.

Fort Wayne Municipal Airport
After the base was transferred to temporary inactive status, the city of Fort Wayne bought the airport from the federal government's General Services Administration for one dollar, renaming it Fort Wayne Municipal Airport in 1946, though colloquially the entire complex was still referred to as Baer Field, a practice reinforced by the reactivation of the base as Baer Field for military purposes in 1951. Two passenger airlines initially served Baer Field: TWA and Chicago & Southern Airlines; United Airlines appeared in 1947 with one DC-3 each way a day. C&S merged with Delta Air Lines in 1953 and Delta is the airport's longest-serving carrier, having served the airport in one form or another ever since. In 1953 the airport's current terminal opened, replacing a converted military structure. The new permanent terminal had an air traffic control tower, an observation deck, and the "Look-Out Dining Room" restaurant with views of the ramp below. Late in the 1950s, Hilton Hotels opened the on-site Hilton Inn, which was sold in the 1980s as Hilton opened a hotel at the Grand Wayne Center. After Hilton sold the hotel, the on-airport Hilton was reflagged as first a Holiday Inn, and later became a Quality Inn and then a Days Inn. TWA, the first airline to serve Fort Wayne at what is now Smith Field, ended flights from Baer Field in 1963. Scheduled jet flights began in January 1967 on United Caravelles (United had been using the Vickers Viscount at Baer Field for several years). United's jets were soon joined by Delta Douglas DC-9s. American Airlines flights began in 1974, initially to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (which opened that year) on Boeing 727s.

Along with Delta, United, and later American, locally-based Hub Airlines and other regional airlines flew to the airport in the 1960s and 1970s. The airport was the largest in Indiana not served by airlines classified as local service airlines by the Civil Aeronautics Board (e.g. Allegheny Airlines and Ozark Air Lines). Eastern Air Lines was the only CAB regulation-era "Big Four" airline that never served Baer Field.

In 1981, Baer Field's 1953 terminal building was modernized and expanded with features like jetways to handle increased traffic brought on by the Airline Deregulation Act. During the period immediately following deregulation in the late 1970s through the early 1980s, Air Wisconsin, Piedmont Airlines (later US Airways), and Republic Airlines began service to Baer Field. American also changed their Fort Wayne flights from Dallas to Chicago O'Hare, while Air Wisconsin took over United's Chicago route in partnership with United and later as United Express. Air Wisconsin also had a maintenance base on the west side of the airport in the 1980s and 1990s that handled BAe 146, BAe ATP, and later Canadair Regional Jet aircraft. After Air Wisconsin closed the maintenance base, Shuttle America briefly used the hangar before it lost its US Airways Express affiliation, flying passengers to the US Airways Pittsburgh hub. The former Air Wisconsin hangar was later used by Endeavor Air, and is presently in use by SkyWest. In 1985, management of Baer Field was transferred from the City of Fort Wayne to the newly established Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority, with a board composed of equal numbers of City of Fort Wayne and Allen County officials.

Fort Wayne International Airport
In 1991 Baer Field was renamed Fort Wayne International Airport; the terminal was renamed to continue honoring Paul Frank Baer. Through the 1990s the airport underwent the largest expansion and revitalization in its history. Between 1994 and 1997, the terminal was again expanded, with design by MSKTD & Associates, Inc. Other improvements included runway upgrades and the Air Trade Center on the southwest side of the property. In 1998, Fort Wayne International Airport started advertising the airport to the general public for the first time. That same year, Delta ended its mainline jet service to Atlanta. Although this ended a tradition of service dating back to Chicago & Southern Airlines when the airport was converted to civil use in the 1940s, Delta continued to serve the airport via Delta Connection regional jets to Atlanta and Cincinnati. Other airlines serving the airport, including United, Northwest, and American, followed Delta's lead in introducing regional jets such as the Canadair Regional Jet, Fairchild Dornier 328JET, Avro RJ85, and the Embraer ERJ-145 to the airport. Turboprops such as the Saab 340, Beechcraft 1900, ATR 72, and Dash 8 also continued to play a role for flights to destinations such as Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit, occasionally alongside larger jets such as the DC-9, Fokker 100, and Boeing 737 on the same routes.

By 2000, Fort Wayne International Airport was handling record traffic. The record from 2000 was not broken until 2016. American Eagle resumed nonstop flights to Dallas/Fort Worth that year, which continue. Air Canada Express began a short-lived service to Toronto. The following year, Fort Wayne International Airport's traffic dropped after the September 11 attacks. The slump continued for several years, prolonged by an ongoing fare war between Southwest Airlines, ATA Airlines, and others at Indianapolis International Airport, two and a half hours from Fort Wayne. In late 2003, ATA Connection began service from Fort Wayne International Airport to Chicago/Midway, the first low-cost carrier to serve the airport. Demand for the flights reached the point where airport management bought the on-site Days Inn to make room for more parking. An on-site hotel has not returned to the airport since, as many modern hotels on the southwest side of Fort Wayne offer shuttle service. ATA briefly switched the flight's destination to Indianapolis before closing their regional division completely in early 2005. US Airways also ended service to Pittsburgh, their lone service from the airport, as part of a broader de-hubbing of Pittsburgh. US Airways left the airport, as the discontinued Pittsburgh service was not transferred to the airline's other hubs in Philadelphia or Charlotte. However, nine years later after the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, Fort Wayne International Airport got service to both hubs. Around the same time as the departure of US Airways from the airport, Northwest stopped using mainline aircraft on their Detroit flights; unlike US Airways, NWA continued to serve the Fort Wayne to Detroit route using regional jets and turboprops. Delta planned on introducing service to Orlando from the airport in 2005; however, the flights were canceled days before the planned launch as the result of Delta's Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In January of 2007, a modernized 210 ft air traffic control tower was opened on the south side of Fort Wayne International Airport, at a price of $9.7 million. One year later, Allegiant Air, the airport's second low-cost carrier, began operations with service to Orlando. Allegiant continues to serve the airport and has since added service to Tampa/St. Petersburg, Myrtle Beach (seasonal), Punta Gorda (serving Fort Myers and Sarasota), and Phoenix. At one time, Allegiant also offered service to Fort Lauderdale from the airport and served Phoenix and Las Vegas before late 2008 as well. The Las Vegas and Phoenix services were initially discontinued in 2008 due to fuel costs and fuel price volatility. However, the Phoenix and Las Vegas suspensions were ultimately temporary as Allegiant began adding more fuel-efficient Airbus A319 aircraft in 2013. The A319 allowed the airline to serve Phoenix profitably from Fort Wayne. Allegiant then added the Airbus A320 to Florida routes. The MD-80 fleet has since been retired, making Allegiant an all-Airbus airline of A319 and A320 aircraft, the largest passenger aircraft used at the airport. The move to an all-Airbus fleet with lower fuel and maintenance costs enabled Allegiant to serve more cities from Fort Wayne and elsewhere; seasonal Sarasota service started in 2019 and Las Vegas was resumed as seasonal service in 2020. The Fort Lauderdale service was eliminated along with several other Allegiant routes to Fort Lauderdale, including one from what is now South Bend International Airport, due to congestion problems at Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

In 2008, all Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority properties including Fort Wayne International Airport and Smith Field received a new logo. The new brand, designed by Fort Wayne firm Catalyst Marketing Design, is meant to resemble jet contrails. Debuting together with the new logo was the slogan "A Whole New Altitude" that was and continues to be used for both airports along with the Airport Authority's operations. Northwest began service to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport in early 2008; the service was temporarily suspended in 2009 following the merger of Delta and Northwest, but resumed in 2010 as seasonal service running between early March and late December. The Minneapolis flights are now year-round service.

During and after the recession of 2008, Fort Wayne International Airport lost relatively little of its service and passengers when compared with similar Midwestern airports. Although Continental Airlines ended Cleveland service in 2009 and Delta ended Cincinnati service in 2011, there was no impact to the airport in the end. Unlike some other similar airports, Fort Wayne International Airport gained passengers in the six years immediately following Continental's discontinuation of Cleveland flights. In the cases of both Cleveland and Cincinnati, the service discontinuation was part of broader hub cutbacks at both Continental and Delta that affected many other airports. Following the merger of Delta and Northwest, Delta also replaced the last of the turboprop flying from the airport with regional jets. Around the time of the discontinuation of Cleveland service, United placed Continental flight numbers and allowed Continental OnePass frequent-flyer miles to be earned on United flights, including those from Fort Wayne. United continues to serve the airport following the United/Continental merger, and added flights to their Newark hub in September 2016. However, this service was unsuccessful due to local passenger preference for LaGuardia Airport and United’s 2018 decision to reduce Newark flying to many small markets.

Today Fort Wayne is served by four carriers: Allegiant Air, American Eagle, Delta, and United Express. Although they account for a small percentage of airport traffic (less than 1%), charter flights from operators including Allegiant, Vision Airlines, and Republic Airlines also operate from the airport. Delta reduces Detroit flights during January and February, the airport's slowest months, while United and American reduce Chicago flights. Delta's Atlanta and Minneapolis flights, all American flights aside from O'Hare, and Allegiant flights to Florida and Phoenix do not see reductions in January and February.

The airport's terminal received updates in 2013. These updates included new paint, expanded business, new welcome centers, new children's play areas, permanent heating and air conditioning units for aircraft use at gates and new lounge seating near the gates with power outlets. The airport's office reception area and executive offices on the second floor of the terminal building also received an update at approximately the same time. Also in 2013, Allegiant reintroduced service to Phoenix via Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport in late October of that year. Phoenix is the third-most popular city from Fort Wayne International Airport behind Atlanta and Dallas, and prior to the reintroduction, Phoenix was also the most popular city without nonstop service from the airport. The resumed Phoenix service became Allegiant's fourth year-round and fifth total destination from the airport.

About six months after the legal closing of the American Airlines-US Airways merger, Fort Wayne International Airport and American Airlines Group announced twice-daily service to Philadelphia International Airport and daily flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, both legacy US Airways hubs. The new flights began on October 2, 2014. These three flights boosted the merged airline's departures from Fort Wayne by a third over the previous schedule, provided the airport's first route to the northeastern US since deregulation, and offered an additional gateway to the southeastern US and the Caribbean. Both hubs also improved connections to Europe from Fort Wayne, offering new one-stop flight options that were previously not available. A second Charlotte flight was added in December 2015.

The success of American's Philadelphia service led United Airlines to add service to Newark Liberty International Airport, effective September 2016. The service will initially utilize the Embraer EMB-145 regional jet. This is United's first flight aside from O'Hare from the airport since the mid-1980s, and will provide additional one-stop connections to the East Coast, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and India from the airport. However, shortly after the United announcement, American decided to discontinue Philadelphia flights as of August 2016. Unusually for such a decision, American initially did not cite a reason for the discontinuation to local media, though lower-than-expected traffic was later cited as a reason. However, some felt that the market was too small to support service to two very similar hubs in the same area. American remained committed to the airport, and continues to serve Charlotte, Chicago, and Dallas/Fort Worth multiple times daily. In November 2016, American upgraded their Dallas flights to the CRJ-900 with first-class seating and upgraded Charlotte flights to CRJ-700s with first class in March 2017. The Philadelphia decision was short-lived as American resumed Philadelphia service in June 2018, again with two daily flights (the afternoon flight that mainly serves connections to Europe sees a suspension during the slow winter months). Due to a pilot shortage, the service ended in May 2023. This marked 12 nonstop cities from the airport, with over 350 cities possible with one connection, though not all cities are served year-round.

2016 was a record year for the airport's passenger numbers, as the airport handled 727,896 passengers, marking seven consecutive years of passenger growth. 2017 improved on this number, and by 2019, the airport had ten straight record years. In 2018, a rerouting of Ferguson Road and demolition of a hangar was completed. This allowed for more parking and for a future terminal expansion, with room for more parking.

Facilities
Fort Wayne International Airport covers 3,351 acres (1,356 ha) at an elevation of 814 feet (248 m).

The main Runway 5/23 is 11981 ft long and 150 ft wide grooved asphalt and concrete. The runway is large enough to accommodate the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter, Airbus A380, Boeing 747, and military air mobility and aerial refueling aircraft such as the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker, KC-46A Pegasus, and KC-10 Extender. The runway has BAK-14 arresting gear on both ends for emergency arrestment of US and NATO/Allied fighter and other tactical fixed-wing aircraft.

Runway 14/32 is the airport's secondary runway, 8002 x. Runway 9/27 is 4001 x, used by general aviation.

In the year ending August 6, 2018 the airport had 35,397 aircraft operations, average 97 per day: 47% general aviation, 36% air taxi, 16% airline, and 1% military. 72 aircraft were then based at this airport: 31% single-engine, 13% multi-engine, 26% jet, 29% military, and 1% helicopter.

Fort Wayne International Airport has ten shared-use gates. Any gate can be used by any airline serving the airport at any time with the airport's shared-use gate system.

Gates 1 through 4 are ground-level on the first floor of the terminal, whereas Gates 5 through 10 are on the second floor of the terminal and board via jetways. A half-height jetway was added to Gate 4 in 2015, while Gate 2 has a Commute-a-Walk covered walkway. Gates 1 and 3 are currently uncovered. As Gates 5 through 8 were built at a time when the airport had mainline service, these gates can handle aircraft ranging in size from the Canadair Regional Jet family used by Delta, American, and United to the Airbus A319 and Airbus A320 family aircraft used by Allegiant.

An FAA Master Plan for Fort Wayne International Airport, the first since 2003, was completed in 2012. This led to the construction of new facilities, with construction ongoing as of 2023.

Parking & car rental
The new rental car area (which brought covered spaces for rental cars) and parking lot reconfiguration (which streamlined the exit for the short- and long-term parking lots) were among the first improvements to be carried out under the master plan. These occurred in 2014, coinciding with a parking management change from Standard Parking to Republic Parking System, the first such change at the airport in 45 years. Eight car rental agencies serve FWA. The previous car rental lot was modified into a dedicated drop-off and pick-up point for taxis and hotel shuttles. Uber is also authorized to serve the airport, and Lyft has been authorized since the ridesharing firm began operating in Fort Wayne. Shortly after the change in parking vendors, the airport started offering airline miles or hotel points for parking, dining, and shopping by becoming a member of the Thanks Again loyalty program along with smartphone parking payments. Parking rates remained unchanged as the vendors changed and Thanks Again was introduced.

Passenger gates & private aviation
The master plan called for the replacement of ground-level Gates 1 through 4 with an equal number of additional jetway gates on the second floor, and one of the new gates would include a passenger U.S. Customs Federal Inspection Services station to complement the existing FIS station for cargo and business jets. Many of these features were added to Project Gateway. Room opened up by the relocation of the airport's fixed-base operator (FBO) to the airport's west side near the former SkyWest maintenance base, made possible by the opening of Altitude Drive. As of January 2016, the FBO is run by the Airport Authority and is branded as the Fort Wayne Aero Center. The new facility, which replaced previous FBO Atlantic Aviation, offers a full range of services to private aircraft owners. Fort Wayne Aero Center also supplies Avfuel-branded aviation fuels and deicing services to both private and commercial airline customers. U.S. Customs moved to a new location near the Aero Center in 2016; although the facility will be larger, a passenger FIS was not included. The master plan also calls for a larger Transportation Security Administration security area.

Project Gateway
By 2019, the current terminal was handling record traffic, and it was time to expand in a way consistent with the Master Plan. In 2020, the airport announced Project Gateway, a significant terminal renovation, and expansion. The design and engineering of the project was led by Mead & Hunt (www.meadhunt.com), a national architecture and engineering firm specializing in aviation; the construction phase was led by Fort Wayne construction firm Michael Kinder & Sons from 2021 to 2023, when work of the West Terminal will be completed. A second project, East Terminal, designed by Mead & Hunt with construction led by Clayco, is planned for completion in early 2025. A key component of Project Gateway West Terminal is to get the terminal’s jetway-enabled gates, dining, shopping, and services to par with modern standards, increase security from 2 to 4 lanes, and add a new inline baggage system. Project Gateway will go to all upper-level jetway gates, all able to handle jets such as the EMBRAER 175 and Airbus A220 that are expected to feature in the airport’s growth. Some gates will also handle Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 aircraft, both of which will be used by Allegiant Air as they continue to buy used A320s and will be adding the Boeing 737 MAX in the Boeing 737-7 and 737-8 200 versions to the fleet in 2023. The Greater Fort Wayne Aviation Museum will be digitized and accessible from the landside without security.

The East Terminal, is planned for construction in 2023-2025, and will include new upper-level gates, dining, and shopping. A passenger U.S. Customs facility can be added to the facility, though there are currently no plans to make it part of Project Gateway, as plans for service to Mexico at South Bend International Airport continue to encounter setbacks and Fort Wayne wants to add one when timing is better for such types of services. Work to enable Project Gateway started in spring 2020 on a terminal ramp rebuild. The ramp rebuild was accelerated due to temporary low passenger traffic as a result of COVID-19, as more work could be done without disruption to operations.

Air cargo
Fort Wayne International also handles a significant amount of air cargo. In the 1970s, United Airlines scheduled Douglas DC-8 freighters into the airport, Delta Air Lines used Boeing 727s for belly cargo capacity, and local company Jet Air Freight & Parcel Delivery offered delivery service of air cargo from what was then Baer Field.

In the 1980s, as air cargo shifted to specialized airlines, the airport gained a hub for Burlington Air Express (now BAX Global) in 1985. The airport was also a finalist for the United States Postal Service Express Mail hub in 1991; this hub went to Indianapolis International Airport before being closed in 2001 as the USPS shifted Express Mail and Priority Mail air duties to FedEx Express. The BAX hub was moved to Toledo Express Airport in 1991, and a hub for Kitty Hawk Aircargo opened eight years later. The hub was built with $24 million in bonds, and the airport's runway was extended in anticipation of larger cargo aircraft. Around this time, Fort Wayne International was second only to Indianapolis International in terms of air cargo volume in the state of Indiana. Kitty Hawk shut down operations in 2007; the airport raised its property tax levy significantly solely to pay the bonds. New tenants were eventually found for the facility, and bond payments for the former Kitty Hawk facility ended in 2020.

Despite the loss of Kitty Hawk, both FedEx Express and UPS Airlines fly daily Boeing 757 and Airbus A300 service to Fort Wayne International from the FedEx Memphis SuperHub and UPS Louisville Worldport, respectively. (FedEx's Indianapolis hub is served from Fort Wayne by truck.) During times of high demand, the Boeing 767, McDonnell Douglas MD-11, or Airbus A300 are often substituted. Amazon.com, which opened a delivery center in fall 2020 and opened the first of two Fort Wayne fulfillment centers in fall 2021, one of which is located close to the airport, added Boeing 767 service to Fort Worth Alliance Airport to provide east-west connections in the Amazon Air network in 2022.

Museum
The Greater Fort Wayne Aviation Museum is a museum displaying local aviation memorabilia located inside the terminal.

Accidents and incidents

 * On April 28, 1951, United Airlines Flight 129, a Douglas DC-3 with 11 passengers and crew, crashed on approach to Fort Wayne Municipal Airport/Baer Field. All eight passengers and three crew were killed. A severe downdraft during a thunderstorm caused the aircraft to strike the ground in a near level attitude.
 * On November 9, 2000, a Superior Aviation Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner struck trees, crashed and caught fire after takeoff from FWA. The sole occupant, the pilot, was killed.
 * On September 5, 2003, Charles McKinley shipped himself via Kitty Hawk Aircargo from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo, New York, then to Fort Wayne, eventually flying to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, arriving the next day, undetected through security.
 * On August 18, 2004, authorities shut down the airport after a "liquid substance" leaking from luggage caused six people to fall ill. Fearing that the incident may have been an act of terrorism, the FBI was involved in the investigation. Hazmat later ruled that there was "no biological or chemical threat" and the airport was reopened that afternoon. All who were ill recovered and it was later revealed that the substance was an agent for producing perfume.

Famous Visitors
In the 1992 Presidential campaign, former President George H.W. Bush used Fort Wayne International Airport during a campaign stop. To this day, this is also the only visit of the Boeing VC-25A Air Force One to the airport.

In the 2008 Presidential campaign, both former President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton used the airport for campaign stops.

In the 2016 Presidential campaign, both Ted Cruz and Donald J. Trump used the airport for campaign stops. Two years later when serving as President, Trump also used FWA for a midterm campaign stop in support of U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun, who instead chose to run for Governor of Indiana instead of a second term in the 2024 election.

In the 2020 Presidential campaign, former Vice President Mike Pence made a campaign stop on behalf of then-President Donald J. Trump, days before Pence voiced issues over Trump’s plans for the January 6th insurrection and stopped campaigning on behalf of him. This campaign stop was held in an open hangar due to Indiana’s COVID-19 guidelines, which were based on the stricter CDC guidelines instead of the more lenient White House Reopening Plan.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Fort Wayne International Airport


text:
Pike Expedition

The Pike Expedition (July 15, 1806 – July 1, 1807) was a military party sent out by President Thomas Jefferson and authorized by the United States government to explore the south and west of the recent Louisiana Purchase. Roughly contemporaneous with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, it was led by United States Army Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, Jr. who was promoted to captain during the trip. It was the first official American effort to explore the western Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains in present-day Colorado. Pike contacted several Native American tribes during his travels and informed them that the U.S. now claimed their territory. The expedition documented the United States' discovery of Tava which was later renamed Pikes Peak in honor of Pike. After splitting up his men, Pike led the larger contingent to find the headwaters of the Red River. A smaller group returned safely to the U.S. Army fort in St. Louis, Missouri before winter set in.

Pike's company made several errors and ended up in Spanish territory in present-day Southern Colorado, where the Americans built a fort to survive the winter. Captured by the Spanish and taken into Mexico in February, their travels through present-day New Mexico, Mexico, and Texas provided Pike with important data about Spanish military strength and civilian populations. Although he and most of his men were released because the nations were not at war, some of his soldiers were held in Mexican prisons for years, despite U.S. objections. In 1810, Pike published an account of his expeditions, which was so popular that it was translated into French, German, and Dutch for publication in Europe.

Exploration

On June 24, 1806, General James Wilkinson, commander of the Western Department, ordered Lieutenant Zebulon Pike, then age 27, to lead an expedition to the western and southern areas of the Louisiana Purchase to map the terrain, contact the Native American peoples, and to find the headwaters of the Red River. Pike left Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis, Missouri on July 15 with a detachment of 20 soldiers and 50 Osage hostages, freed for return to their people. The expedition followed the Missouri River and the Osage River to the Osage Nation village at the present-day border of Kansas and Missouri. On August 15, Pike returned the hostages and parlayed with the natives.

Striking northwest, the group made for the Pawnee territory on the Republican River in southern Nebraska. Pike spent several weeks at the Pawnee village on September 29, Pike met with the Pawnee tribal council. He announced the new claim of protectorship by the United States government over the territory. He persuaded the Pawnee chief to remove a Spanish flag from their village and to fly the American flag instead. He left them with the understanding, "... That for the fear the spaniards might return there in force again but with an ejection that it should never be hoisted during their stay".

The expeditionary force turned south and struck out across the prairie for the Arkansas River. After reaching it on October 14, the party split in two. One group was led by Lieutenant James Biddle Wilkinson, son of the General. They traveled downstream along the length of the Arkansas to its mouth and back up the Mississippi, safely returning to St. Louis.

Pike led the other, larger group upstream, to the west, toward the headwaters of the Arkansas. Upon traversing the Great Plains, Pike wrote, "This vast plains of the western hemisphere may become in time as celebrated as the sandy deserts of Africa; for I saw in my route, in various places, tracts of many leagues where the wind had thrown up the sand in all the fanciful form of the ocean's rolling wave, and on which not a speck of vegetable matter existed." When Stephen Long led an expedition to the area in 1820, he labeled the area on his map as the "Great American Desert."

Pike in Colorado

On November 15, Pike recorded the first sight of the distant mountain Tava which he called "Grand Peak". It has since been called Pikes Peak in his honor. Pike tried to climb the peak, hoping to get a view of the surrounding area to record on maps, the 14,000 ft summit. Pike's group ascended a lesser summit nearby—likely Mount Rosa. With winter threatening, Pike pressed onward up the Arkansas, and on December 7 the party reached Royal Gorge, a spectacular canyon on the Arkansas at the base of the Rocky Mountains.

Pike next intended to travel to the headwaters of the Red River and head downstream to the Mississippi and relative safety in the lowlands. But, the company had gotten confused in its bearings, and they made several blundering steps trying to find the river. They were not equipped for a mountain expedition, nor for hard winter weather. Heading north, the party found the South Fork of the Platte River and, following it upstream, came to what they thought were the headwaters of the Red. Turning back downstream, they returned to the point at which they had left the Arkansas originally. They had executed a large loop, taking weeks of precious travel time.

Hungry, cold, and exhausted, the party headed south over the mountains. Several men were left behind as they dropped from fatigue, but Pike doggedly pressed on. By January 30, he and the ten men still with him came to the Rio Grande at a point near Alamosa in present-day southern Colorado and then part of the Spanish empire. Pike mistook the Rio Grande for the Red River he had been seeking. Here, he built a fort and attempted to collect the rest of his men, who were strewn across miles of mountains behind him.

Capture

On February 26, in the night Pike and his remaining men were captured at their fort by Spanish soldiers from nearby Santa Fe. Arresting the party as spies, the Spanish collected the rest of his men who had been scattered in the mountains, and marched them all south. The Spanish took them through Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and El Paso to Los Coabos, the state capital of Chihuahua. Along the way, Pike's party was treated with respect and celebrated by the Mexican locals, and Pike made careful notes of the military strength and civilian population.

Chihuahua's Governor Salcedo released Pike and most of his men, as they were military officers of a neighboring country, with whom Spain was not at war. He ordered the repatriation of Pike, but held some of the soldiers of his party in jail in Mexico for years. The Spanish military escorted Pike and some of his party back north, through San Antonio, Texas, arriving at the border with Louisiana at Natchitoches on July 1, 1807.

The Spanish formally complained to the United States Department of State about the military expedition in its territory, but the government maintained that the party had been one of exploration only. Pike's capture by the Spanish and travels through New Mexico, northern Mexico, and Texas, gave him more information about Spanish power than his expedition could have done.

title: Pike Expedition


text:
Raichu

Raichu (ライチュウ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise, and the evolved form of series mascot Pikachu. First introduced in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue, they were created by Atsuko Nishida at the request of lead designer Ken Sugimori, with the design finalized by Sugimori. Since their initial appearance, they have appeared in multiple games including Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, as well as various merchandise. In media related to the franchise, Raichu has been voiced by various voice actors, including Kei Shindō, Fumiko Takekuma, and Casey Mongillo.

Classified as an Electric-type Pokémon, Raichu is a large brown mouse with a lightning bolt-shaped tail, and yellow sacs on its cheek that can generate large amounts of electricity. Designed to be the stronger counterpart to Pikachu, who evolves into Raichu through use of a "Thunder Stone" item, Raichu was intended to be able to evolve into 'Gorochu' before the latter was removed. A regional variant was added in Pokémon Sun and Moon called Alolan Raichu. Featuring a fluffier design with round ears and tail, it is able to levitate by riding its tail like a surfboard, and classified as both Electric and Psychic-type.

While early reactions from media outlets regarded it negatively in light of Pikachu's status as the franchise's main mascot, later examinations have been more favorable, showing preference for its design. Due to it often being portrayed as Pikachu's rival in the anime adaptation of the series and in some games a form Pikachu refuses to evolve into, critics have claimed Game Freak painted the species in a negative light and overall damaged its reputation. This has led to further discussion on Game Freak's overemphasis on Pikachu, as well as varying interpretations of the themes in the rivalry, including concepts of self-identity and portrayals of youth in anime media.

Conception and development
Raichu is a fictional species of Pokémon created for the Pokémon franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items.

Midway through Red and Blue's development, lead designer Ken Sugimori felt that the game needed more "cute" Pokémon and was struggling to conceive of such designs. Attributing it to his male perspective, he brought in female Game Freak staff including Atsuko Nishida to join the development team. Tasked with developing the Pikachu species and their evolutionary line, she was given specific guidelines to work with, namely its role as an Electric-type, that it evolved twice, and that its final form should "look strong." Pikachu evolves into Raichu through use of the game's "Thunder Stone" item, while Raichu was originally planned to evolve into a Pokémon dubbed Gorochu. However, the latter was cut due to cartridge space concerns, leaving Raichu to be Pikachu's sole evolution. Nishida developed the sprites, using a single color identity chosen in order to work within the Super Game Boy's hardware limitations. Afterwards, the design was finalized by Sugimori who, towards the end of development, drew the promotional art of all the species to give them a unified look and make any last-minute changes.

Design
Standing 2ft 7in (79cm) tall, Raichu is a bipedal rodent with long ears and feet but short arms, and significantly taller than Pikachu. They have orange skin, a white belly, brown paws, and tan-colored soles on their feet. Their bifurcated ears meanwhile are brown on the outside and yellow on the inside, and they have yellow cheek sacs. They were not originally intended to be based on mice, as the mouse Pokémon Rattata already existed at this point in development, and instead were modeled after squirrels. Nishida stated in an interview that she was obsessed with squirrels at the time due to their "comical" movement, and had the idea to have Pikachu and Raichu store electricity in their cheeks similar to how squirrels store food. Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri however chose to change the species to be a type of mouse when he was designing the setting. Raichu's name comes from the Japanese kanji "rai," meaning thunder, followed by "chū," which is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a mouse's squeak.

When developing sequel titles Pokémon Sun and Moon, "Alolan form" variants of several existing Pokémon were introduced, meant to be tied thematically to the game's region. According to game director Shigeru Ohmori, of all the regional forms introduced in the game, Raichu's was the hardest to create, as they felt the species was popular with fans of the franchise. A theme of it surfing on its tail was chosen due to the large amount of water surrounding the in-game region, a concept they had previous explored with Raichu in another game, Pokémon Stadium. Sugimori asked Nishida to design the form, who gave it a "soft and fluffy" appearance. Nishida felt that Raichu's original design was far cuter than people gave it credit for, and wanted to express this in the Alolan form. When Sugimori inquired about the finished design, Nishida explained that the "motif behind the design was bread", a statement that confused him as he didn't understand the correlation. The development team gave the species an affinity for pancakes to better tie it to its motif, as well as to "play up that cuteness." With Psychic as its secondary type, it has an ability called "Surge Surfer" that boosts its speed when it is on Electric Terrain.

Appearances
First found in Pokémon Red and Blue, they have appeared in most Pokémon titles since, including every major game. In the battle against one of the bosses, Lt. Surge, players fight against a Raichu. Typically, players must use a Thunder Stone item on a Pikachu to evolve it into Raichu. However, the Pikachu obtained at the start of Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu cannot evolve, and another Pikachu must be obtained instead. While the regular version was omitted from Pokémon Sun and Moon, their Alolan form can be obtained instead. Both have appeared in the mobile game Pokémon Go, and, in physical media, were in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Outside of games, Raichu has appeared on several pieces of merchandise, including plush toys, figurines, and as promotional material with companies such as Burger King.

In the related anime and manga, Raichu appears as a repeated rival of protagonist Ash Ketchum's Pikachu. First appearing alongside Lt. Surge, Raichu quickly overpowers Pikachu, leaving Ash to consider evolving it. However, Pikachu rejects the Thunder Stone, and fights Raichu again. Using skills it acquired that Surge's Raichu lacked, due to the latter evolving his as quickly as possible, Pikachu defeats Raichu. Another Raichu appears in the short Pikachu's Vacation, goading Pikachu into fighting it and racing across the island they are on. In another episode, Pikachu comes into conflict with an Alolan Raichu, engaging in a race where they carry stacks of pancakes. Later in the anime series, a female Raichu is owned by Ash's friend, Goh. Raichu has been voiced by various actors, including Kei Shindō, Fumiko Takekuma, and Casey Mongillo.

Critical reception
Early reactions to the species were negative due to Pikachu's popularity as the series mascot, with IGN in their "Pokémon of the Day Chick" series of articles argued Raichu was "loved by many and despised by more," and GamesRadar+ editor Brett Elston adding that it was "easy to forget Raichu even exists." Later articles, such as Nintendo Life's retrospective of Pokémon from Red and Blue, spoke more favorably of the species, with Jon Cartwright describing them as a "step up" from Pikachu. Alex Olney agreed that Raichu is "hugely underrated," ranking it higher than Pikachu, while Zion Grassl felt it was unfair to players of Pokémon Yellow to be denied access to Raichu without losing a core feature of the game.

Other articles also praised the species. Kenneth Shephard of Kotaku criticized The Pokémon Company's handling of the species, stating that they would either use Raichu as a "punching bag" or ending up not using them at all. He blamed it on Raichu's debut episode in the Pokémon anime, feeling that while the episode by itself was good, it helped set the tone for how the species was perceived by the audience, with Pikachu being the superior of the two. Raichu's negative reception compounded in the Pokémon video games; while Pikachu would be given items or new forms available to it to improve its effectiveness, these were omitted from Raichu, giving players the underlying message that evolving Pikachu would be a disadvantage, or, in some titles, prevent Pikachu from evolving at all. In an article for Fanbyte, he further explained that Raichu, compared to other final evolution Pokémon such as Charizard or Blastoise, was treated with less recognition, and added "it feels like Raichu can't get out from under its little brother's shadow, even as he towers over him."

Isaiah McCall of The Gamer held similar sentiments, stating "people worship the throne that Pikachu built, ignoring anything Raichu had to offer," and expressing his confusion at the reaction. He argued that Raichu was simply a stronger counterpart to Pikachu, and felt Raichu would have been far more popular if it evolved from any other Pokémon. Evan Valentine of ComicBook.com argued that while Raichu was overshadowed by their "smaller, [...] cuter" counterpart, its existence and portrayal helped give better insight to Pikachu's character in the anime. ScreenRant's Niki Fakhoori stated that despite The Pokémon Company's emphasis on Pikachu, Raichu was overall more effective in the franchise's competitive scene, needing less forced support and able to utilize a wider array of items. She further called it one of the franchise's "best designs," highlighting Raichu's "sleek" legs and "iconic" tail. In a 2022 article, she expressed her belief that the franchise abandoned the species.

Other sources have read different meanings into Pikachu's rivalry with his evolved form, such as the book La Culture de l'Enfance à l'Heure de la Mondialisation, which compared it to the story of David and Goliath. Gina O'Melia in the book Japanese Influence on American Children's Television drew a comparison to Ash's idealized childlike state instead of maturing in Pikachu's refusal to evolve into Raichu and how this displayed that they drew power from their younger states respectively. The theme was something she felt was also a common trope in other anime media targeting children. Meanwhile, journalist Nicole Hill, in an interview with Kotaku, felt Pikachu's refusal to evolve and why resonated well with the LGBTQ community, acting as an example of self-expression and self-identity. On characterization, Fakhoori felt the anime's repeated portrayal of Raichu as "an ill-natured Pokémon used by unkind Trainers" significantly damaged how the species was viewed by the public, especially in light of Pikachu being emphasized as "reasonable and heroic" when the two come into conflict.

Polygon writer Allegra Frank noted that Raichu's Alolan form had proven popular with the fandom, some of which had made the connection between its design and pancakes and that its presentation in the Pokémon anime may have been in response to memes that arose from such. Fakhoori appreciated how it maintained similar aspects to Raichu's original design, ranking Alolan Raichu as "one of the cutest alternate forms" across the Pokémon series, and added regardless of form, felt that it is "always shaped like a friend." Shephard, on the other hand, voiced disdain. While he praised the fact Raichu had finally gotten some acknowledgement, he felt it was in part the company trying to shelve the original design. Despite praising the design on its own aspects, the form came across as a reminder that "if Raichu is to get any spotlight," it would be "as a kind of canvas" for new ideas instead.

title: Raichu


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HMS Upholder

Two Royal Navy submarines have been named HMS Upholder.

 * The first HMS Upholder (P37), launched in 1940, was a U-class submarine. She served in World War II. Her captain was Lieutenant Commander David Wanklyn, who received the Victoria Cross whilst in command of the vessel. HMS Upholder was the most decorated submarine in the British fleet. She was sunk off the coast of Sfax in North Africa by the Italian torpedo boat Pegaso in April 1942.
 * The second HMS Upholder (S40), launched in 1986 and named after the first, was the lead ship of her class of submarines.

title: HMS Upholder


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Alexandra of Yugoslavia

Alexandra (Αλεξάνδρα, Александра, born Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark; 25 March 1921– 30 January 1993) was the last Queen of Yugoslavia as the wife of King Peter II.

Posthumous daughter of King Alexander of Greece and his morganatic wife, Aspasia Manos, Alexandra was not part of the Greek royal family until July 1922 when, at the behest of Queen Sophia, Alexander's mother, a law was passed which retroactively recognized marriages of members of the royal family, although on a non-dynastic basis; in consequence, she obtained the style and name of Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark. At the same time, a serious political and military crisis, linked to the defeat of Greece by Turkey in Anatolia, led to the deposition and exile of the royal family, beginning in 1924. Being the only members of the dynasty allowed to remain in the country by the Second Hellenic Republic, the princess and her mother later found refuge in Italy, with Dowager Queen Sophia.

After three years with her paternal grandmother, Alexandra left Florence to continue her studies in the United Kingdom, while her mother settled in Venice. Separated from her mother, the princess fell ill, forcing Aspasia to make her leave the boarding school where she was studying. After the restoration of her uncle, King George II, on the Hellenic throne in 1935, Alexandra stayed in her native country several times but the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War, in 1940, forced her and her mother to settle in Athens. The invasion of Greece by the Axis powers in April–May 1941, however, led to their moving to the United Kingdom. Again exiled, Alexandra met in London the young King Peter II of Yugoslavia, who also went into exile after the invasion of his country by the Germans.

Quickly, Alexandra and Peter II fell in love and planned to marry. Opposition from both Peter's mother, Maria, and the Yugoslav government in exile forced the couple to delay their marriage plans until 1944, when they finally celebrated their wedding. A year later, Alexandra gave birth to her only son, Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia. However, the happiness of the family was short-lived: on 29 November 1945, Marshal Tito proclaimed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Alexandra, who had never set foot in her adopted country, was left without a crown. The abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy had very serious consequences for the royal couple. Penniless and unable to adapt to the role of citizen, Peter II turned to alcoholism and multiple affairs with other women. Depressed by the behavior of her husband, Alexandra neglected her son and made several suicide attempts. After the death of Peter II in 1970, Alexandra's health continued to deteriorate. She died of cancer in 1993. Her remains were buried in the Royal Cemetery Plot in the park of Tatoi, in Greece, before being transferred to the Royal Mausoleum of Oplenac in 2013.

The issue of the Greek succession
Born Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, she was brought into a difficult environment. Five months before her birth, her father, King Alexander, died of sepsis following a monkey bite which occurred in the gardens of Tatoi. The unexpected death of the sovereign caused a serious political crisis in Greece, at a time when public opinion was already divided by the events of the World War I and the Greco-Turkish War. The King had concluded an unequal marriage with Aspasia Manos, and, in consequence, their offspring was not dynastic. Due to the lack of another candidate for the throne, Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos was soon forced to accept the restoration of his enemy, King Constantine I, on 19 December 1920. Alexander's brief reign was officially treated as a regency, which meant that his marriage, contracted without his father's permission, was technically illegal, the marriage void, and the couple's posthumous child illegitimate.

The last months of pregnancy of Aspasia are surrounded by intrigue. In the case that she gave birth to a boy (who would be named Philip, as the father of Alexander the Great), rumours soon assured that she was determined to place him on the throne after his birth. True or not, this possibility worried the Greek royal family, whose fears about the birth of a male child were exploited by the Venizelists to revive the succession crisis. The birth of a girl, on 25 March 1921, was a great relief for the dynasty, and both King Constantine I and his mother, Queen Dowager Olga, agreed to be the godparents of the newborn.

Integration into the royal family
Still, neither Alexandra nor Aspasia received more official recognition: from a legal point of view, they were commoners without any rights in the royal family. Things changed from July 1922 when, after the intervention of Queen Sophia, a law was passed which retroactively recognized marriages of members of the royal family, although on a non-dynastic basis; with this legal subterfuge, the princess obtained the style of Royal Highness and the title of Princess of Greece and Denmark. Thus, Alexandra's birth became legitimate in the eyes of Greek law, but since the marriage was recognized on a 'non-dynastic basis', her royal status was tenuous at best and she remained ineligible for the throne; however, this belated recognition made it possible for her to later make an advantageous marriage, which would not have been possible if she were nothing more than the daughter of the King's morganatic spouse.

Aspasia, however, was not mentioned in the law and remained a commoner in the eyes of protocol. Humiliated by this difference in treatment, she begged Prince Christopher (whose commoner wife, Nancy Stewart Worthington Leeds, was entitled to be known as a Princess of Greece and Denmark), to intercede on her behalf. Moved by the arguments of his niece-in-law, he approached Queen Sophia, who eventually changed her opinion. Under pressures from his wife, King Constantine I issued a decree, gazetted 10 September 1922 under which Aspasia received the title Princess of Greece and Denmark and the style of Royal Highness.

From Athens to Florence
Despite these positive developments, the situation of Alexandra and her mother did not improve. Indeed, Greece experiencing a series of military defeats by Turkey and a coup d'état soon forced King Constantine I to abdicate again, this time in favor of his eldest son, Crown Prince George, on 27 September 1922. Things went from bad to worse for the country; a further coup forced the new king, his wife and his brother to leave the country on 19 December 1923. On 25 March 1924, Alexandra's third birthday, the Second Hellenic Republic was proclaimed and both Aspasia and Alexandra were then the only members of the dynasty allowed to stay in Greece.

Penniless, Aspasia chose to take the path of exile with her daughter in early 1924. The two princesses found refuge with Queen Sophia, who had moved to the Villa Bobolina near Florence, shortly after the death of her husband on 11 January 1923. The now dowager queen, who loved Alexandra, was thrilled, even if her financial situation was also precarious. With her paternal grandmother, the princess spent a happy childhood with her aunts Crown Princess Helen of Romania, Princesses Irene and Katherine of Greece, and her cousins Prince Philip of Greece (the future Duke of Edinburgh) and Prince Michael of Romania, who were her playmates during holidays.

From London to Venice
In 1927, Alexandra and her mother moved to Ascot, Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. They were greeted by Sir James Horlick, 4th Baronet, and his Horlick family, who harbored them in their Cowley Manor estate near the hippodrome. Now seven years old, Alexandra was enrolled in boarding schools in Westfield and Heathfield, as was the custom for the upper class. However, the Princess took very badly to this experience: separated from her mother, she stopped eating and eventually contracted tuberculosis. Alarmed, Aspasia thus moved her daughter to Switzerland for treatment. Later, Alexandra was educated in a Parisian finishing school, during which time she and her mother stayed at the Hotel Crillon.

Eventually, the two princesses settled on the island of Giudecca in Venice, where Aspasia acquired a small property with her savings and Horlick's financial support. The former home of Caroline Carry Eden (1837–1928), sister of the garden designer Gertrude Jekyll and widow of Frederic Eden (1828–1916), a relative of the future British Prime Minister Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, the villa and its 3.6 hectares of landscaped grounds were nicknamed the Garden of Eden, which delighted the Greek Princesses.

Between Greece and Venice
In 1935, the Second Hellenic Republic was abolished and King George II (Alexandra's uncle) was restored to the throne after a referendum organized by General Georgios Kondylis. Alexandra was then allowed to return to Greece, a country she had not seen since 1924. Although she continued to reside in Venice with her mother (who still suffered the ostracism of the royal family), the princess was invited to all the great ceremonies that punctuate the life of the dynasty. In 1936, she participated in the official ceremonies which marked the reburial in Tatoi of the remains of King Constantine I, Queen Sophia, and Dowager Queen Olga; all three died in exile in Italy. Two years later, in 1938, she was invited to the wedding of her uncle, Crown Prince Paul, with Princess Frederica of Hanover.

Despite her participation in the ceremonies of the Greek royal family, at that time Alexandra understood that she was not a full member of the European royalty. Her mother had to claim in her name the share of the inheritance of Alexandra's paternal grandparents. Also, the princess' mother had no site in the royal necropolis of Tatoi. During the 1936 ceremonies, a chapel was arranged in the park of the palace for the remains of King Constantine I and Queen Sophia. The remains of King Alexander − previously based in the gardens next to his grandfather King George I – were then transferred to this chapel, with no space reserved for Aspasia.

First marriage proposal
In 1936, the fifteen-years-old Princess received her first marriage proposal: King Zog I of Albania, who wished to marry a member of the European royalty in order to consolidate his position, asked her hand. However, the Greek diplomacy, which maintained complex relations with the Kingdom of Albania because of the possession of Northern Epirus, rejected this proposal and King Zog I eventually married the Hungarian Countess Géraldine Apponyi de Nagy-Appony in 1938.

Alexandra attended numerous dances, which aimed to introduce her to the European elite. In 1937 she was presented in Paris, where she danced with her cousin, the Duke of Windsor, then residing in France with his wife, the Duchess, after his abdication and subsequent marriage.

From Venice to London
The outbreak of the Greco-Italian War on 28 October 1940 forced Alexandra and her mother suddenly to leave Venice and fascist Italy. They settled with the rest of the Royal Family in Athens. Eager to serve their country in this difficult moment, both Princesses became nurses alongside the other women of the Royal Family. However, after several months of victorious battles against the Italian forces, Greece was invaded by the army of Nazi Germany on 6 April 1941. Alexandra and the majority of the members of the Royal Family left the country a few days later, on 22 April. After a brief stay in Crete, where they received a German bombing, the Greek Royal Family departed for Egypt and South Africa.

While several members of the Royal Family were forced to spend World War II in South Africa, Alexandra and her mother obtained the permission of King George II of Greece and the British government to move to the United Kingdom. They arrived at Liverpool in the autumn of 1941 and settled in London in the district of Mayfair. In the British capital, the Greek princesses resumed their activities in the Red Cross. Better accepted than in their own country, they were regular guests of the Duchess of Kent (born Princess Marina of Greece) and of the future Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece), who was rumoured to be briefly engaged to Alexandra.

Love and marriage
However, it was not her cousin Philip whom Alexandra finally married. In 1942, the Princess met her third cousin, King Peter II of Yugoslavia in an officers' gala at Grosvenor House. The 19-year-old sovereign had lived in exile in London since the invasion of his country by the Axis powers on 6 April 1941. Quickly, they fell in love with each other and considered marriage, which greatly delighted Princess Aspasia. However, the sharp opposition of Queen Maria of Yugoslavia, Peter II's mother, and the Yugoslav government-in-exile, which deemed it indecent to celebrate a wedding while Yugoslavia was dismembered and occupied, prevented for a while the marital project. For two years, the lovers had only brief meetings in the residence of the Duchess of Kent. After a brief stay of Peter II in Cairo, Egypt, the couple finally married on 20 March 1944. The ceremony, at which the King's mother refused to participate, citing toothache, was held at the Yugoslav embassy in London. Marked by restrictions due to the war, Alexandra wore a wedding dress that was lent her by Lady Mary Lygon, wife of Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich of Russia (himself the son of King Peter's aunt Princess Helen of Serbia). Among the guests at the ceremony, there were four reigning monarchs (George VI of the United Kingdom, George II of Greece, Haakon VII of Norway and Wilhelmina of the Netherlands) and several other members of European royalty, including the two brothers of the groom (Prince Tomislav and Prince Andrew), the mother of the bride, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld, Prince Consort of the Netherlands.

Liberation of Yugoslavia and the communist victory
Now Queen of Yugoslavia, Alexandra, however, had tenuous links with her new country, living under the Nazi occupation. In 1941, a large portion of the Yugoslav territory was annexed by the Axis powers. Crown Prince Michael of Montenegro refused to resurrect his ancient Kingdom under Italian and German protection and guidance, and thus the region of Montenegro had been transformed into a governorate by fascist Italy. Finally, the other two main parts of Yugoslavia were reduced to puppet states: the Serbia of General Milan Nedić and the Croatian Kingdom of the Ustaše. As all over occupied Europe, Yugoslav civilians suffered the abuses of the invaders and collaborators who supported them. Two groups emerged in the country: the Chetniks, led by monarchist General Draža Mihailović, and the Partisans, led by the communist Marshal Josip Broz Tito.

From London, the Yugoslav government-in-exile supported the struggle of the royalist forces and appointed General Mihailović as Chief Minister of War. However, the importance of the Partisans pushed the allied forces to trust the Communists and give increasingly limited help to Mihailović, who was accused of collaborating with the Axis powers to shoot communist guerrillas. After the Tehran Conference (1943), the Allies finally broke their ties with the Chetniks, forcing the Yugoslav government-in-exile to recognize the preeminence of the Partisans. In June 1944, Prime Minister Ivan Šubašić officially appointed Marshal Tito as the head of the Yugoslav resistance and Mihailović was dismissed. In October 1944, Churchill and Stalin concluded an agreement to split Yugoslavia into two occupation zones, but after the liberation of Belgrade by the Red Army and the Partisans, it became clear the Communists predominated in the country. A harsh treatment, which affected the monarchists, took place; at the request of Churchill, Tito agreed in March 1945 to recognize a Regency Council (which had almost no activity) but opposed the return of King Peter II, who had to remain in exile with Alexandra while a government coalition dominated by the Communists was constituted in Belgrade.

Birth of Crown Prince Alexander and Peter II's deposition
In this turbulent context, Alexandra gave birth to an heir, named Alexander after his two grandfathers, Alexander of Yugoslavia and Alexander of Greece. The birth took place in Suite 212 of Claridge's Hotel in Brook Street, London, on 17 July 1945. To enable the child to be born on Yugoslav soil, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill reportedly asked King George VI to issue a decree transforming, for a day, Suite 212 into Yugoslav territory, which was to be the only time Alexandra was in Yugoslavia as queen. On 24 October 1945, the newborn Crown Prince was baptized by the Serbian Patriarch Gavrilo V in Westminster Abbey, with King George VI and his elder daughter (the future Queen Elizabeth II) acting as godparents.

The festivities marking the birth of the crown prince, however, were short-lived. Less than eight months after joining the coalition government, Milan Grol and Ivan Šubašić resigned their offices of Vice-Prime Minister (18 August) and Foreign Minister (8 October), respectively, to mark their political disagreement with Marshal Tito. Faced with the rise of the Communists, King Peter II decided, to withdraw his confidence from the Regency Council and regain all his sovereign prerogatives in Yugoslavia (8 August). Tito responded by immediately depriving the Royal Family of the civil list, which was soon to have dramatic consequences in the lives of the royal couple. Especially, Tito ordered the organization of early elections to a Constituent Assembly. The campaign took place in an irregular way, in the middle of pressures and violence of all kinds, with the opposition deciding to boycott the poll. On 24 November 1945 a single list presented by the communists was proposed to voters: while there were hardly more than 10,000 Communists throughout Yugoslavia before the war, their candidates list obtained more than 90% of the votes in the referendum.

In their first meeting on 29 November 1945, the Constituent Assembly voted immediately to abolish the monarchy and proclaimed the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. While no referendum accompanied this institutional change, the new regime was quickly recognized by virtually all of the international countries (except Francoist Spain).

Financial and marital difficulties
Now without income and any prospect of returning to Yugoslavia, Peter II and Alexandra resolved to leave Claridge's Hotel and moved to a mansion in the Borough of Runnymede. Abandoned by the British government, they settled for a time in France, between Paris and Monte Carlo, then in Switzerland at St. Moritz. Increasingly penniless, they ended up leaving Europe and in 1949, they settled in New York City, where the former King hoped to complete a financial project. Still penniless, the couple was forced to sell Alexandra's necklace of emeralds and other pieces of her jewelry to pay their accumulated debts. In addition to these difficulties was the fact that they were unable to manage a budget. As Alexandra wrote in her autobiography, she had no idea of the value of things, and she quickly proved incapable of maintaining a home.

In the United States, Peter II soon drifted away. Having made poor financial investments, he lost the little money he had left. Unable to adapt to the daily life of a normal citizen, he turned to alcohol and affairs with other women. Likely prone to anorexia for years, she made her first suicide attempt during a visit to her mother in Venice during the summer of 1950.

The relations of the royal couple went from bad to worse. Thanks to the intervention of his maternal grandmother, the 4-year-old former Crown Prince Alexander was sent to Italy with the Count and Countess of Robilant, friends of the royal couple. The child then grew up in an atmosphere much more stable and loving, with only a few visits from his parents.

Divorce attempt and reconciliation
The year 1952 was marked by further financial problems due to bad investments of Peter II. Alexandra also suffered a miscarriage. The couple returned to France, where the situation did not improve. In 1953, Alexandra made another suicide attempt in Paris, which she survived thanks to a phone call from her aunt, Queen Frederica of Greece. Tired of the poor mental health of his wife, Peter II finally launched a process of divorce in the French courts. The intervention of his son the crown prince and the King and Queen of Greece convinced him, however, to abandon his intentions. The couple reconciled and for a time they lived a second honeymoon. However, the need for money continued to be felt and Alexandra was persuaded by a British publisher to write her autobiography. With the help of the ghostwriter Joan Reeder, in 1956 she published For Love of a King (translated into French the following year under the title Pour l'Amour de mon Roi). Alexandra was always in financial need despite the relative success of the book. In 1959, she co-wrote a second book, this time about her cousin, the Duke of Edinburgh. Though it revealed nothing compromising about the Duke of Edinburgh, the book prompted the British Royal Family to distance itself from Alexandra.

For some time, the couple moved to Cannes, while Peter II maintained a chancellery in Monte Carlo. Considering himself still King of Yugoslavia, the former sovereign continued to award titles and decorations. Supported by some monarchists as the "Duke of Saint-Bar", he even maintained an embassy in Madrid. However, the reconciliation of the royal couple finally soured and Peter II returned to live in the United States while Alexandra moved with her mother to the Garden of Eden.

In 1963, on 1 September or before, Alexandra made another suicide attempt in Venice. Narrowly saved by her son former Crown Prince Alexander, she spent a long period of convalescence under the constant care of her sister-in-law, Princess Margarita of Baden (wife of Peter II's brother Prince Tomislav of Yugoslavia). Once recovered, Alexandra reconciled again with Peter II and the couple returned to live in the French capital in 1967. But, as before, the reconciliation was temporary and soon Peter II returned to live permanently in the United States while Alexandra settled in her mother's residence.

Last years
Peter II died on 3 November 1970 in Denver, United States, during an attempted liver transplant. Lacking resources, his remains were buried in Saint Sava Monastery Church at Libertyville, Illinois, making him the only European monarch so far to have been buried in America. Still unstable and impoverished, Alexandra did not attend the ceremony, which took place in relative privacy.

Two years later, on 1 July 1972, former Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia (now Head of the House of Karađorđević), married at Villamanrique de la Condesa, near Seville, Spain, Princess Maria da Glória of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1946), daughter of Brazilian Imperial pretender Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza and first cousin of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. Too fragile emotionally, Alexandra did not attend the wedding of her son and it was her father's cousin Princess Olga of Greece (wife of Prince-Regent Paul of Yugoslavia), who escorted the groom to the altar.

One month later, on 7 August 1972, Alexandra's mother Princess Aspasia died. Now alone, she finally sold the Garden of Eden in 1979 and returned to the United Kingdom because of her health problems. She died of cancer at Burgess Hill, West Sussex, on 30 January 1993.

The funeral of Alexandra was held in London, in the presence of her son, her three grandsons (Hereditary Prince Peter, Prince Philip and Prince Alexander) and several members of the Greek royal family, including the former King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie. Alexandra's remains were then buried in the Royal cemetery park at Tatoi, Greece, next to her mother.

On 26 May 2013, Alexandra's remains were transferred to Serbia for reburial in the crypt of the Royal Mausoleum at Oplenac. With her, the remains of her husband King Peter II, her mother-in-law Queen Mother Maria and brother-in-law Prince Andrew were also reburied at the same time in an official ceremony which was attended by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić and his government.

Honours

 * 🇬🇷 Greek Royal Family: Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Olga and Sophia
 * House of Karađorđević: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Star of Karađorđe
 * House of Karađorđević: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle
 * House of Karađorđević: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Sava
 * House of Karađorđević: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Yugoslav Crown

title: Alexandra of Yugoslavia