The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 created what was then known as
the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). This was changed to the Federal
Aviation Administration (still the FAA) in 1966 when it became a
part of the US Department of Transportation (DOT).
The FAA's predecessor, the Civil Aeronautics Administration
(CAA) was established in 1940 by President Roosevelt, when he split
the Civil Aeronautics Authority in two, to create the CAA and the
CAB (Civil Aeronautics Board). The CAA was created in 1938 by the
Civil Aeronautics Act.
Prior to this, the Air Commerce Act of 1926 created an
aeronautics branch of the Department of Commerce. This was the
first Federal Act that regulated aircraft and pilots in the United
States and began regulatory oversight over those entities.
