The Inheritance
On Christmas Eve 1923, eighteen-year-old Howard Robard Hughes Jr. stood in the Houston offices of Hughes Tool Company, inheriting an empire built on a single revolutionary invention. His father, Howard Hughes Sr., had died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving behind a company worth approximately $871,000—roughly $13 million in today's currency—and a patent on a drill bit that would reshape the oil industry.
The Hughes rock bit, patented in 1909, featured 166 cutting edges that could bore through rock formations that had previously been impenetrable. By 1923, Hughes Tool Company held a virtual monopoly on deep-well drilling equipment, leasing rather than selling their bits to oil companies worldwide. This strategy generated recurring revenue that would fund Howard Jr.'s later adventures in aviation and Hollywood.
Within months of his father's death, Hughes bought out his relatives' shares in the company for $325,000, gaining complete control. His uncle Rupert Hughes, a successful novelist and screenwriter, had introduced young Howard to the entertainment industry during summers in Hollywood. This early exposure would prove pivotal—Hughes had already decided that oil drilling profits would finance his true ambitions in aviation and film.
Hollywood Gambler
In 1925, at age nineteen, Hughes moved to Hollywood with $2 million in liquid assets and an audacious plan. His first film, "Swell Hogan," cost $40,000 and disappeared without a trace. Undeterred, he invested $2 million—an astronomical sum for 1927—in "Hell's Angels," an aviation epic that would consume four years of his life and establish him as both a visionary and an obsessive perfectionist.
"Hell's Angels" required Hughes to purchase 87 vintage World War I aircraft, including German Fokkers and British SE5as. When sound films emerged during production, Hughes scrapped $1.5 million worth of completed silent footage and reshot the entire film. The aerial sequences, which Hughes directed personally while piloting camera planes, featured real dogfights with live ammunition removed only at the last moment.
By the Numbers
Hell's Angels Production
$3.8MTotal production cost (1930)
87Vintage aircraft purchased
3Pilots killed during filming
$8MBox office gross
The film's premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on May 27, 1930, drew 50,000 spectators. Despite mixed reviews, "Hell's Angels" grossed $8 million worldwide, making Hughes a Hollywood power player overnight. More importantly, it established his reputation for technical innovation and unlimited spending in pursuit of perfection.
The Aviation Pioneer
Hughes's obsession with aviation extended far beyond filmmaking. In 1932, he founded Hughes Aircraft Company in a hangar at Glendale Airport, initially employing just twelve people. His goal was audacious: to build the fastest aircraft in the world and break every aviation record worth breaking.
The Hughes H-1 Racer, completed in 1935, embodied Hughes's perfectionist philosophy. Every rivet was flush-mounted, every surface polished to mirror smoothness. The aircraft featured retractable landing gear, a revolutionary innovation that reduced drag by 40%. On September 13, 1935, Hughes piloted the H-1 to a new world land-speed record of 352.38 mph, breaking the previous record by 40 mph.
I want to be remembered as the man who flew faster than anyone else, who built the biggest airplane, and who made the best motion pictures.
— Howard Hughes
But Hughes wasn't satisfied with speed alone. On January 19, 1937, he flew the modified H-1 from Los Angeles to Newark in 7 hours, 28 minutes, and 25 seconds—a new transcontinental record that shattered the previous mark by two hours. The flight averaged 322 mph, a speed that seemed impossible to contemporary observers.
Hughes's aviation achievements culminated in his 1938 around-the-world flight. Piloting a modified Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra with a four-man crew, Hughes departed New York on July 10, 1938, and returned 91 hours, 14 minutes later—half the time of the previous record. The flight covered 14,824 miles with stops in Paris, Moscow, Omsk, Yakutsk, and Fairbanks.
The War Years and the Spruce Goose
World War II transformed Hughes from aviation hobbyist to defense contractor. In 1940, Hughes Aircraft received its first military contract for $1.2 million to develop the D-2, a twin-engine fighter bomber. Though the D-2 never entered production, it led to more significant contracts, including the revolutionary XF-11 reconnaissance aircraft.
Hughes's most ambitious wartime project emerged from an unlikely partnership with shipbuilder Henry Kaiser. In 1942, German U-boats were sinking Allied cargo ships faster than they could be replaced. Kaiser proposed building massive flying boats to transport troops and supplies beyond submarine reach. The result was the HK-1, later known as the Hughes H-4 Hercules—or more famously, the "Spruce Goose."
The contract, signed on November 16, 1942, called for three aircraft at $18 million each. Hughes characteristically obsessed over every detail. The aircraft would have a 320-foot wingspan—longer than a football field—and stand eight stories tall. Built primarily of birch wood due to wartime aluminum shortages, the H-4 required innovative construction techniques that Hughes personally supervised.
By the Numbers
The Spruce Goose
320 ftWingspan
400,000 lbsMaximum takeoff weight
$23MTotal development cost
1Total flights completed
By war's end, only one H-4 had been completed, at a cost of $23 million. Critics called it "Hughes's Flying Lumberyard" and questioned whether the massive aircraft could even fly. On November 2, 1947, with Hughes at the controls and skeptical reporters aboard, the H-4 lifted off Long Beach Harbor for its first and only flight, staying airborne for 26 seconds at an altitude of 70 feet.
TWA and the Jet Age
While building aircraft, Hughes was simultaneously revolutionizing commercial aviation through Trans World Airlines. He had acquired control of TWA in 1939 for $7.5 million, transforming a struggling regional carrier into America's most innovative airline.
Hughes's vision for TWA centered on speed and luxury. In 1940, he ordered 40 Lockheed Constellations—the most advanced airliners of their era—for $18 million. The Constellation's pressurized cabin allowed flights at 20,000 feet, above most weather, reducing flight times by hours. TWA's New York to Los Angeles service, launched in 1946, cut transcontinental travel time to under ten hours.
The airline's international expansion began in 1946 when Hughes secured routes to Europe and the Middle East. TWA's transatlantic service, featuring luxury sleeper compartments and gourmet meals, attracted celebrities and business leaders. By 1950, TWA carried more international passengers than any other U.S. airline.
Hughes's most prescient decision came in 1955 when he ordered 30 Boeing 707 jets for $497 million—the largest aircraft order in aviation history. The 707s, delivered starting in 1959, gave TWA a crucial advantage in the emerging jet age. While competitors struggled with older propeller aircraft, TWA's jets cut flight times in half and attracted premium passengers willing to pay higher fares.
The Recluse Emerges
By 1960, Hughes controlled an empire worth over $1.5 billion. Hughes Aircraft employed 58,000 people and held contracts worth $600 million. TWA generated annual revenues of $400 million. Hughes Tool Company continued producing 75% of the world's oil drilling equipment. Yet Hughes himself was becoming increasingly isolated and erratic.
The transformation began after a near-fatal crash in 1946 while testing the XF-11. Hughes suffered a crushed chest, broken ribs, and severe burns. Prescribed morphine for pain, he developed an addiction that would plague him for decades. The crash also exacerbated his existing obsessive-compulsive tendencies, leading to increasingly bizarre behavior.
In 1966, Hughes sold TWA for $546 million—then the largest stock transaction in Wall Street history. The sale made him the richest person in America, with liquid assets exceeding $600 million. But rather than celebrate, Hughes retreated further from public view, eventually becoming a complete recluse who communicated only through handwritten memos and rarely left his hotel suite.
I'm not a paranoid deranged millionaire. Goddamit, I'm a billionaire.
— Howard Hughes
The Vegas Years
On Thanksgiving Day 1966, Hughes arrived in Las Vegas aboard a private train, checking into the Desert Inn's penthouse suite. What was supposed to be a brief stay extended to four years, during which Hughes never left his room but somehow managed to purchase much of Las Vegas.
Between 1967 and 1970, Hughes spent $300 million acquiring Las Vegas properties. He bought the Desert Inn for $13.2 million, the Sands for $14.6 million, the Castaways for $3.3 million, and the Silver Slipper for $5.4 million. He also purchased the Landmark Hotel before it opened for $17.3 million and acquired significant stakes in several other casinos.
Hughes's Vegas buying spree extended beyond casinos. He purchased 25,000 acres of undeveloped land, the local television station KLAS for $3.6 million, and even the small North Las Vegas Airport for $1.8 million. His total Vegas investments exceeded $300 million, making him the city's largest private landowner.
The purchases weren't random—Hughes envisioned transforming Las Vegas from a mob-controlled gambling town into a respectable resort destination. He eliminated organized crime influence from his properties, upgraded facilities, and attracted mainstream entertainers. His investments helped legitimize Las Vegas and laid the groundwork for its transformation into today's entertainment capital.
The Final Years
Hughes's last decade was marked by increasing paranoia and physical deterioration. He moved constantly between hotels in different countries—the Bahamas, Nicaragua, Canada, England—always occupying entire floors and communicating only through a handful of trusted aides known as the "Mormon Mafia."
His business empire continued generating enormous profits despite his absence. Hughes Aircraft, led by capable executives, developed advanced satellite and defense systems worth billions. The Summa Corporation, Hughes's holding company, managed his vast real estate holdings and continued oil tool operations.
On April 5, 1976, Hughes died aboard a private jet en route from Acapulco to Houston, weighing just 90 pounds and suffering from kidney failure, malnutrition, and drug addiction. He was 70 years old. His death triggered a massive legal battle over his estate, estimated at $2.5 billion, as dozens of supposed heirs emerged with questionable claims.
