Howard Hughes

Born in 1905 Houston Texas, Howard Hughes inherited his father’s wildly successful oil drilling tool business at age 18, using his vast wealth to propel him into one of the richest men in the world. Taking advantage of the still infant movie industry in Southern California, Hughes produced a string of successful films throughout the Golden Years of Hollywood, including his 1930 World War One classic Hell’s Angels, which featured expensive aerial combat scenes and a then-unknown actress named Jean Harlow.

Hollywood Playboy Years

Developing a reputation as a Hollywood playboy, Hughes dated the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Ava Gardner and Ginger Rogers, at the same time producing a solid body of cinematic achievement, including his 1932 Scarface and his 1941 The Outlaw. In tandem with his achievements in film, Hughs developed an intense passion for flying, leading to the creation of the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1932, where he spent the next two decades creating cutting edge innovations in aviation, including the first retractable landing gear, as well as setting world air-speed records throughout the mid to late 1930s.

Build it Bigger

During World War Two, German U-boats wreaked havoc on Allied convoys, as they ferried men and war materiel into the battlegrounds of Europe. As a result of these heavy losses, the U.S. government signed a contract with Hughes Aircraft Company to build a massive float plane that could carry 750 troops or two 30 ton M4 Sherman tanks across the Atlantic. Completed after the U-boat threat had been neutralized, Hughes flew the giant behemoth in late 1947, before spending a small fortune preserving the plane until his death in 1976 Following a horrific plane crash in 1946 that nearly ended his life—his last of 14 serious head traumas—Hughes retreated from the public eye until his death, descending into alcohol and drug abuse to deaden the pain left over from his many injuries.

Recluse Years

Purchasing part of RKO Pictures in 1948—never once visiting the studio—in the 1960s, Hughes lived in the Penthouse suite of the Desert Inn in Las Vegas, amidst rumors that he suffered from both drug addition and an obsessive-compulsive disorder that made him paranoid of catching germs from other people. After his death back in Houston, no less than 600 people came forward to claim his vast fortune, while his reclusive legend returned to the spotlight in the feature film The Aviator, where Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of the troubled billionaire earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role, making the life and achievements of Howard Hughes, a mysterious legend in American history.