Brussels Airport, at Zaventem northeast of the Belgian capital, began as a military airfield built under German occupation in the Second World War. After the liberation in 1944 it was taken over by Allied forces, and it was converted to civilian use after the war, when it replaced the earlier airport at Haren. It became the hub of the Belgian national airline Sabena, and was expanded with new terminals, notably in the 1950s and later in the 1990s. It has since become the main international gateway of Belgium. In March 2016 suicide bombings at the airport killed many people and closed it for several days.
Before and after
- c. 1940sRise of abstract expressionism
- from c. 1940s to 1960sGreen Revolution
- c. 1940sNuclear warfare
- from 1 January 1940 to 7 January 1940Battle of Raate Road
- 1940Construction of Brussels Airport
- from 1940 to 1948Rise of Lehi
- c. 1940sRise of Postmodernism
- from 1940 to 1957Rise of Forest Brothers
- from 1940 to 1991Occupation of the Baltic states
More in Art, literature & culture
The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.