Howard Hughes
Visionary aviator, engineer, and magnate whose career spanned film, aviation, and industry.
Chronology: 1905-12-24 – 1976-04-05
Origins & Early Life
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American aviator, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was one of the richest and most influential people in the world during his lifetime. He first became prominent as a film producer, and then as an important figure in the aviation industry.
Pivotal Works & Achievements
Later in life, he became known for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle—oddities that were caused in part by his worsening obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain from a near-fatal plane crash, and increasing deafness. As a film tycoon, Hughes gained fame in Hollywood beginning in the late 1920s, when he produced big-budget and often controversial films such as The Racket (1928), Hell's Angels (1930), and Scarface (1932). He later acquired the RKO Pictures film studio in 1948, recognized then as one of the Big Five studios in Hollywood, although the production company struggled under his control and ultimately ceased operations in 1957. In 1932, Hughes founded Hughes Aircraft Company and spent the next two decades setting multiple world air speed records and building landmark planes like the Hughes H-1 Racer (1935) and the...
Enduring Legacy & Impact
The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.
Source: Wikipedia