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The Squadron was activated, after 6 months training in an unofficial status, on June 1, 1953 as the 3600th Air Demonstration Team at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. They flew their debut exhibition at Luke a week later, and began public exhibitions at the 1953 Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The team had flown 26 shows by that August. The first team leader was Maj. Dick Catledge, and the first plane flown by the squadron was the F-84 Thunderjet.

The next year the Thunderbirds performed their first overseas air shows, in a tour of South America. A year later, 1955, they moved to the F-84F Thunderstreak aircraft, in which they performed 91 air shows.

The aircraft of the squadron was again changed in June, 1956, this time to the F-100 Super Sabre, which gave the pilots supersonic capability. This switch was accompanied by a move of headquarters to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It also signaled a shift in their performance routine—for example, the Cuban 8 opening routine was dropped, and emphasis was placed on low, screaming flyovers and demonstrations of takeoff performance. For a time, if the show's sponsor permitted it, the pilots would create a " sonic boom." (This ended when the FAA banned supersonic flight over the continental U.S.)

In 1960 a decision was made to allow the tail vertical stabilizer of the slot plane, black from exhaust of the other planes, to remain black. (Contrary to rumor, the stabilizer has never been painted black.) In 19611961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first "upside-down" year i. one that looked the same upside down since 1881, and the last until 6009. Events January January 1 The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, cease, the team was compelled to discontinue the vertical bank maneuver due to an FAA regulation prohibiting aerobatics that pointed the nose of the aircraft toward the crowd. 1962Events January January 1 Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand January 3 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro January 4 New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board January 8 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is e saw the introduction of dual solo routines, and the Thunderbirds went on their first European deployment in 1963Events January-March January 11 The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. January 14 George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama. January 22 Elysee treaty between France and Germany January 28 Black student Harvey. The team switched to the F-105 ThunderchiefThe Republic F-105 Thunderchief was a single-seat, supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force. It saw extensive service during the Vietnam War. Development The F-105 began development as a company-funded design, the AP-63FBX (Advanced P for a brief period, but returned to the F-100 in 1964Events January January 1 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. January 3 Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President. January 5 In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Ort after only six airshows, following Capt. Gene Devlin's death resulting from structural instability of the aircraft in a high-G climbing maneuver.

By 1967Events January January 4 British motorboat racer Donald Campbell dies while attempting a water speed record in Coniston Lake. January 4 Algerian revolutionary Mohammed Khider is shot in Madrid. January 6 Vietnam War: USMC and ARVN troops launch " Operatio, the Thunderbirds had flown their 1,000th show. In 1969For other uses, see Number 1969. For the movie, see 1969 (movie). Events January January 1 Australian media baron Rupert Murdoch purchases the largest selling British Sunday newspaper The News Of The World January 5 The Derry Riots leave over 100 people i, the squadron adopted the F-4E PhantomThe F-4 Phantom II (simply "F-4 Phantom" after 1990) is a two-place (tandem), supersonic, long-range, all-weather fighter-bomber built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. It was operated by the US Navy, the USMC and later the USAF, from 1961 until 1995., which it flew until 1973, switching to the T-38 Talon, mainly due to considerations of fuel efficiency (the team had been grounded for some time during the 1973 energy crisis). The switch to the T-38 also saw an alteration of the flight routine to exhibit the aircraft's maneuverability in tight turns.

In 1983 the team switched to the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which had been under consideration even before the "Diamond Crash." The team still flies the F-16, having switched from the A model to the F-16C in 1992. These are almost identical to current combat aircraft, the only difference being the replacement of the 20mm cannon with a smoke-generating system to create a contrail. If necessary, the planes could be made combat-ready in less than 72 hours.

In 1986, the Thunderbirds did a flyby for the rededication of the Statue of Liberty, which was viewed by tens of millions. They also performed the first American military demonstration in a Communist country when they did an air show in Beijing, China in 1987. Their 3,000th air show was performed in 1990. In 1996, the team participated in the Atlanta Olympics' opening ceremonies, which were viewed by an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide. The squadron celebrated its 50th anniversary on June 1, 2003.