Thirty-five years ago today, Howard Hughes died, somewhat fittingly, on an airplane en route to a hospital for treatment. Eccentric reclusion in later life — as well as his reputation as a playboy — would somewhat darken his legacy as an entrepreneur, aviator, filmmaker and billionaire.
His biography is a fascinating one, and Life is telling it in pictures. Here are a few.
- Hide caption Hughes climbs into the cockpit of his Northrop Gamma H-1 plane (refitted with an engine he helped redesign and retool) in 1937, prior to breaking the speed record for transcontinental flight. Previous Next Note: Life captions edited for length./Courtesy of Life
- Hide caption Hughes studies the script as he sits on the set of The Outlaw. Previous Next Bob Landry/Courtesy of Life
- Hide caption Seen here with Ava Gardner, Hughes was romantically linked through the years, in fact and in rumor, with the likes of Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Paulette Goddard, Hedy Lamar, Lana Turner and Gene Tierney. Previous Next Courtesy of Life
- Hide caption The "Spruce Goose" was 219 feet long, with a wingspan of nearly 320 feet. (Boeing 747s, by contrast, have wingspans ranging from 195 feet in the earliest models to 224 feet.) Hughes' plane had a tail height of nearly 80 feet — roughly that of an eight-story building. Previous Next Courtesy of Life
- Hide caption Hughes testifies before a Senate committee after being accused by Sen. Owen Brewster of misusing $40 million in government funds during the development of two planes: the F-11 and the HK-1 ("Spruce Goose"), neither of which was ever successfully delivered to the government. Previous Next Courtesy of Life
- Hide caption Howard Hughes sits in the cockpit of the Spruce Goose on the day of its celebrated, long-delayed test flight in 1947. Previous Next Courtesy of Life
With an inherited fortune from his father, who patented a drill bit used in oil and gas drilling, Hughes financed some of the era's biggest Hollywood blockbusters, including Hell's Angels, Scarface, and The Outlaws, which put actress Jane Russell on the screen for the first time. Incidentally, Hughes was romantically involved with a great number of Hollywood stars.
In addition to Hollywood pursuits, Hughes became a pilot in 1928. He designed, built and flew record-breaking aircraft, founded the Hughes Aircraft Company and was inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973. One of his most memorable projects was known as "The Spruce Goose" — the largest flying boat ever, made out of wood, which made its only flight in 1947.
Needless to say, there's a lot more to his biography. More of it can be see at Life.
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