Editing Howard Hughes

{{Short description|American aerospace engineer and business magnate (1905–1976)}}
{{about|the American businessman and film producer|other people|Howard Hughes (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Howard Hughes
| image              = Howard Hughes 1938.jpg
| caption            = Hughes in 1938
| birth_name         = Howard Robard Hughes Jr.
| birth_date         = {{birth date|mf=yes|1905|12|24}}
| birth_place        = [[Houston]], Texas, U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1976|4|5|1905|9|24}}
| death_place        = Houston, Texas, U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas)|Glenwood Cemetery]]
| alma_mater         = [[California Institute of Technology]]<br/> [[Rice University]] (dropped out in 1924)<ref>Simkin, John. [http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKhughesH.htm "Howard Hughes".]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603144329/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKhughesH.htm |date=June 3, 2013}} ''Spartacus Educational''. Retrieved: June 9, 2013.</ref>
| occupation         = Aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, investor, philanthropist, pilot
| title              = Chairman and CEO of [[Summa Corporation]]<br/>Founder of [[The Howard Hughes Corporation]]<br/>Founder of the [[Hughes Aircraft Company]]<br/>Founder and benefactor of the [[Howard Hughes Medical Institute]]<br/>Owner of [[Hughes Airwest]] Airlines
| years_active       = 1926–1976
| boards             = [[Hughes Aircraft Company]]<br/>[[Howard Hughes Medical Institute]]
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Ella Botts Rice|1925|1929|end=div}}
* {{marriage|[[Jean Peters]]|1957|1971|end=div}}
}}
| parents            = [[Howard R. Hughes Sr.]] (father)<br>Allene Stone Gano (mother)
| relatives          = [[John Gano]] (ancestor)<br />[[Rupert Hughes]] (uncle)<br />[[Wright brothers]] (distant cousins)
| signature          = Howard Hughes signature.svg
| module             = {{Infobox aviator 
 | child            = yes
 | famous_flights   = [[Hughes H-1 Racer]], Transcontinental airspeed record from Los Angeles to Newark NJ (1937), round the world airspeed record (1938)
 | license_date     = 
 | license_place    = 
 | awards           = [[Harmon Trophy]] (1936, 1938)<br/>[[Collier Trophy]] (1938)<br/>[[Congressional Gold Medal]] (1939)<br/>[[Octave Chanute Award]] (1940)<br/>[[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] (1973)
}}
}}
'''Howard Robard Hughes Jr.''' (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) 
was an American [[Aerospace engineering|aerospace engineer]], [[business magnate]], [[film producer]], and [[investor]].<ref>{{cite web |title= Howard R. Hughes |url=https://www.unlv.edu/engineering/hughes |work=UNLV Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering |date=July 20, 2011 |access-date=July 18, 2018}}</ref> He was [[The World's Billionaires|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. 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 film)|The Racket]]'' (1928),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/85281|title=The Racket (1928)|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> ''[[Hell's Angels (film)|Hell's Angels]]'' (1930),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/78352|title=Hell's Angels|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref> and ''[[Scarface (1932 film)|Scarface]]'' (1932). He later acquired the [[RKO Pictures]] film studio in 1948, recognized then as one of the [[studio system|Big Five]] studios of Hollywood's [[Cinema of the United States#Classical Hollywood cinema and the Golden Age of Hollywood|Golden Age]], 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 [[Flight airspeed record|world air speed records]] and building landmark planes like the [[Hughes H-1 Racer]] (1935) and the  [[Hughes H-4 Hercules|H-4 Hercules]] (the ''Spruce Goose'', 1947).<ref name="Rumerman" /><ref name="Noah" />{{rp|page=163, 259}} The H-4 was the largest flying boat in history with the longest [[wingspan]] of any aircraft from the time it was built until [[Scaled Composites Stratolaunch|2019]]. He acquired and expanded [[Trans World Airlines]] and later acquired [[Hughes Airwest|Air West]], renaming it Hughes Airwest. Hughes won the [[Harmon Trophy]] on two occasions (1936 and 1938), the [[Collier Trophy]] (1938), and the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] (1939) all for his achievements in aviation throughout the 1930s. He was inducted into the [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] in 1973 and was included in [[Flying (magazine)|''Flying'']] magazine's 2013 list of the 51 Heroes of Aviation, ranked at {{Abbr|No.|Number}} 25.<ref>[http://www.flyingmag.com/photo-gallery/photos/51-heroes-aviation?pnid=41829 "51 Heroes of Aviation."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702120522/http://www.flyingmag.com/photo-gallery/photos/51-heroes-aviation?pnid=41829 |date=July 2, 2017 }} ''Flying'' Magazine. Retrieved: December 27, 2014.</ref>

During his final years, Hughes extended his financial empire to include several major businesses in [[Las Vegas]], such as real estate, hotels, casinos, and media outlets. Known at the time as one of the most powerful men in the state of Nevada, he is largely credited with transforming Las Vegas into a more refined cosmopolitan city. After years of mental and physical decline, Hughes died of [[kidney failure]] in 1976. His legacy is maintained through the [[Howard Hughes Medical Institute]] and [[Howard Hughes Corporation|Howard Hughes Holdings Inc.]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Howard Hughes, Our Company, History |url=http://www.howardhughes.com/our-company |work=Howard Hughes Company Website |access-date=November 6, 2017}}</ref>

==Early life==
[[File:Howard Hughes as child (4729132038).jpg|thumb|upright|Hughes in April 1912]]
[[File:Howard Hughes House.jpg|thumb|Hughes' house]]

Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was the only child of Allene Stone Gano (1883–1922) and of [[Howard R. Hughes Sr.]] (1869–1924), a successful inventor and businessman from Missouri. He had [[English American|English]], [[Welsh American|Welsh]] and some French [[Huguenot]] ancestry,<ref>Barlett and Steele 2004, p. 15.</ref> and was a descendant of [[John Gano]] (1727–1804), the minister who allegedly baptized [[George Washington]].<ref>Barlett, Donald L. and Steele, James B. ''Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness'' Norton, 2011, page 29.</ref> Through John Gano's sister Sussanah, Hughes was a [[5th cousin once removed|5th cousin once-removed]] of the [[Wright brothers]], Orville and Wilbur, who invented the first successful airplane.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Family relationship of Howard Hughes and Orville Wright via Daniel Gano. |url=https://famouskin.com/famous-kin-chart.php?name=44066+howard+hughes&kin=14610+orville+wright&via=23144+daniel+gano |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=famouskin.com}}</ref>

Hughes Sr. patented the [[Well drilling#History|two-cone roller bit]] in 1909, which allowed rotary [[Oil well#Drilling|drilling]] for petroleum in previously inaccessible places. The senior Hughes made the shrewd and lucrative decision to commercialize the invention by leasing the bits instead of selling them, obtaining several early patents, and founding the [[Hughes Tool Company]] in 1909.

Hughes' uncle was the famed novelist, screenwriter, and film director [[Rupert Hughes]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anb.org/articles/10/10-01809.html |title=American National Biography Online: Hughes, Howard |website=www.anb.org |access-date=August 15, 2017}}</ref>

A 1941 [[affidavit]] [[birth certificate]] of Hughes, signed by his aunt Annette Gano Lummis and by Estelle Boughton Sharp, states that he was born on December 24, 1905, in [[Harris County, Texas]].{{#tag:ref|No time of birth is listed. Record nr. 234358, of December 29, 1941, filed January 5, 1942, Bureau of Vital Statistics of Texas Department of Health.|group=N}} However, his certificate of [[Infant baptism|baptism]], recorded on October 7, 1906, in the parish register of St. John's Episcopal Church in [[Keokuk, Iowa]], listed his date of birth as September 24, 1905, without any reference to the place of birth.{{#tag:ref|The handwriting of the baptismal record is a rather trembling one. The clerk was an aged person and there is a chance that, supposedly being hard of hearing, they misheard "December 24" as "September 24" instead. This is speculative. |group=N}}

At a young age, Hughes Jr. showed interest in science and technology. In particular, he had a great engineering aptitude, and built Houston's first "wireless" radio [[transmitter]] at age 11.<ref name=encarta>[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761553204/Howard_Hughes.html "Howard Hughes."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060103075357/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761553204/howard_hughes.html |date=January 3, 2006}} ''MSN Encarta online,'' October 21, 2009. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref> He went on to be one of the first licensed [[ham radio|ham-radio]] operators in Houston, having the assigned callsign W5CY (originally 5CY).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://users.tellurian.com/gjurrens/famous_hams.html |title=The Original Famous Hams and ex-Hams List |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519025753/http://users.tellurian.com/gjurrens/famous_hams.html |archive-date=May 19, 2014}}</ref> At 12, Hughes was photographed for the local newspaper, which identified him as the first boy in Houston to have a [[Motorcycle|"motorized"]] bicycle, which he had built from parts of his father's [[steam engine]].<ref name="cof.net">[http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/pathfinders/Howard%20Hughes.htm "Howard Hughes."] ''U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission,'' 2003. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref> He was an indifferent student, with a liking for mathematics, flying, and mechanics. He took his first flying lesson at 14, and attended [[Fessenden School]] in Massachusetts in 1921.

After a brief stint at [[The Thacher School]], Hughes attended math and aeronautical engineering courses at [[Caltech]].<ref name=encarta/><ref name="cof.net"/> The house where Hughes lived as a teenager at 3921 Yoakum Blvd., Houston, still stands, now known as Hughes House on the grounds of the [[University of St. Thomas (Texas)|University of St. Thomas]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Mail Goes Through But Flavor Is Gone |date=March 8, 1972 |last=Beeney |first=Bill |work=The Democrat Chronicle|location= Rochester, New York|page= 31|quote= Our facility residence is in the 4000 block on Yoakum Blvd. The building next to it at 3900 is the Modern Language Department, It is the former Howard Hughes home. We paid $82,000 cash for it about 10 years ago. |publisher=[[Ancestry.com#Newspapers.com|Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://alumni.stthom.edu/s/1733/alumni/index.aspx?sid=1733&gid=2&pgid=252&cid=1526&ecid=1526&ciid=1697&crid=0 |title=1952 Purchase of Hughes House |publisher=alumni.stthom.edu |access-date=April 21, 2018}}</ref>

His mother Allene died in March 1922 from complications of an [[ectopic pregnancy]]. Howard Hughes Sr. died of a heart attack in 1924. Their deaths apparently inspired Hughes to include the establishment of a [[Howard Hughes Medical Institute|medical research laboratory]] in the will that he signed in 1925 at age 19. Howard Sr.'s will had not been updated since Allene's death, and Hughes Jr. inherited 75% of the family fortune.<ref>[http://history1900s.about.com/od/peoplewhomadeanimpact/p/howardhughes.htm "Howard Hughes."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823115531/http://history1900s.about.com/od/peoplewhomadeanimpact/p/howardhughes.htm |date=August 23, 2006 }} ''about.com''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref> On his 19th birthday, Hughes was declared an [[Emancipation of minors|emancipated minor]], enabling him to take full control of his life.<ref>[http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline/features/features/article/0,17742,1013633-2,00.html "Golf's Bizarre Billionaire."] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071014014020/http://www.golfonline.com/golfonline/features/features/article/0,17742,1013633-2,00.html |date=October 14, 2007}} ''golfonline.com''. Retrieved: September 4, 2007.</ref>

From a young age, Hughes became a proficient and enthusiastic golfer. He often scored near-par figures, playing the game to a two-three handicap during his 20s, and for a time aimed for a professional golf career. He golfed frequently with top players, including [[Gene Sarazen]]. Hughes rarely played competitively and gradually gave up his passion for the sport to pursue other interests.<ref>Barkow 1986, p. 13.</ref>

Hughes played golf every afternoon at Los Angeles courses including the Lakeside Golf Club, [[Wilshire Country Club]], or the [[Bel-Air Country Club]]. Partners included [[George Von Elm]] or Ozzie Carlton. After Hughes hurt himself in the late 1920s, his golfing tapered off, and after his [[XF-11]] crash, Hughes was unable to play at all.<ref name="Noah" />{{rp|56–57,73,196}}

Hughes withdrew from [[Rice University]] shortly after his father's death. On June 1, 1925, he married Ella Botts Rice, daughter of David Rice and Martha Lawson Botts of Houston, and great-niece of [[William Marsh Rice]], for whom Rice University was named. They moved to Los Angeles, where he hoped to make a name for himself as a filmmaker.

They moved into the [[Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)|Ambassador Hotel]], and Hughes proceeded to learn to fly a [[Waco Aircraft Company|Waco]], while simultaneously producing his first motion picture, ''[[Swell Hogan]]''.<ref name="Noah">{{cite book |last1=Dietrich |first1=Noah |last2=Thomas |first2=Bob |title=Howard, The Amazing Mr. Hughes |date=1972 |publisher=Fawcett Publications, Inc. |location=Greenwich |pages=34, 69}}</ref>
In 1929, after four years of marriage, Ella returned to Houston and filed for divorce.

==Business career==
Hughes enjoyed a highly successful [[commerce|business]] career beyond engineering, aviation and film-making; many of his career endeavors involved varying entrepreneurial roles.

===Entertainment===
[[Ralph Graves]] persuaded Hughes to finance a short film, ''[[Swell Hogan]]'', which Graves had written and would star in. Hughes himself produced it. When he screened it, he thought it was a disaster. After hiring a film editor to try to salvage it, he finally ordered that it be destroyed.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zST0HS3memIC&q=swell+hogan+film&pg=PA125|title=Howard Hughes: Hell's Angel|first=Darwin|last=Porter|year=2005|publisher=Blood Moon Productions, Ltd.|isbn=978-0974811819|via=Google Books}}</ref> His next two films, ''[[Everybody's Acting]]'' (1926) and ''[[Two Arabian Knights]]'' (1927), achieved financial success; the latter won the first [[Academy Award for Best Director]] of a comedy picture.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|45–46}} [[The Racket (1928 film)|''The Racket'']] (1928) and [[The Front Page (1931 film)|''The Front Page'']] (1931) were also nominated for [[Academy Awards]].

Hughes spent $3.5&nbsp;million to make the flying film [[Hell's Angels (film)|''Hell's Angels'']] (1930).<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|52,126}} ''Hell's Angels'' received one [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]].

He produced another hit, [[Scarface (1932 film)|''Scarface'']] (1932), a production delayed by censors' concern over its violence.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|128}}

''[[The Outlaw]]'' premiered in 1943, but was not released nationally until 1946. The film featured [[Jane Russell]], who received considerable attention from industry censors, this time owing to her revealing costumes.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|152–160}}

====RKO====
{{Main|RKO Pictures}}

[[File:Howard-Hughes-TIME-1948.jpg|thumb|upright|right| Hughes on the cover of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, July 1948 (with the [[Hughes H-4 Hercules]] in the background)]]

From the 1940s to the late 1950s, the Hughes Tool Company ventured into the film industry when it obtained partial ownership of the [[RKO]] companies, which included RKO Pictures, RKO Studios, a chain of movie theaters known as RKO Theatres and a network of radio stations known as the [[RKO Radio Network]].

In 1948, Hughes gained control of RKO, a struggling major Hollywood studio, by acquiring the 929,000 shares owned by [[Floyd Odlum]]'s [[Atlas Corporation]], for $8,825,000 ($107,165,160 in 2023). Within weeks of acquiring the studio, Hughes dismissed 700 employees. Production dwindled to 9 pictures during the first year of Hughes' control; previously RKO had averaged 30 per year.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|234–237}}
[[File:Janet Leigh and John Wayne in 'Jet Pilot', 1957.jpg|thumb|[[Janet Leigh]] and [[John Wayne]] in ''Jet Pilot'' (1957). Hughes was the producer of the film when he acquired RKO.]]
That same year, 1948, he was able to arrange for his previous films with [[United Artists]] (UA), ''The Outlaw'', ''[[The Sin of Harold Diddlebock#Production|Mad Wednesday]]'', and ''[[Vendetta (1950 film)|Vendetta]]'' to be transferred to RKO. In exchange for the three completed being removed from UA distribution, Hughes and James and Theodore Nasser of [[General Service Studios]]  would provide the financing of three independent films for distribution by UA. In terms of negotiations directly with RKO, the company agree to remove the production of the film ''[[Jet Pilot (film)|Jet Pilot]]''  from [[David O. Selznick]] to Hughes.<ref>{{Cite news |title=NASSERS WILL JOIN HUGHES IN 3 FILMS; Deal to Finance Movies for U.A. Release Would Give RKO Rights to Three Others |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.comhttp//timesmachine.content-tagging.us-east-1-01.prd.dvsp.nyt.net/timesmachine/1948/09/24/94951390.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |access-date=2023-10-12}}</ref> Hughes produced the film during the years 1949-1950 and owned RKO and in turn the distribution for the film. However, the film was not released until 1957 by [[Universal Pictures]] due in part to the subsequent events that would take place at [[RKO Distributing Corp'n.|RKO Distribution]], and largely due the extra aerial film footage that had been filmed over the years after the film's 1950 completion. Hughes was undertaking a final edit before the 1957 release.<ref>{{Cite news |title='JET PILOT' TO GET TARDY LAUNCHING; Universal Will Release Film Finished by Howard Hughes at R.K.O. in 1949-50 Flynn in Zanuck Film |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.comhttp//timesmachine.content-tagging.us-east-1-01.prd.dvsp.nyt.net/timesmachine/1957/03/12/85002552.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false |access-date=2023-10-12}}</ref>

After his acquisition of RKO, Hughes shut down production at the studio for six months, during which time he ordered investigations into the political leanings of every remaining RKO employee. Only after ensuring that the stars under contract to RKO had no suspect affiliations would Hughes approve completed pictures to be sent back for re-shooting. This was especially true of the women under contract to RKO at that time. If Hughes felt that his stars did not properly represent the political views of his liking or if a film's [[anti-communism|anti-communist]] politics were not sufficiently clear, he pulled the plug. In 1952, an abortive sale to a Chicago-based five-man syndicate, two of whom had a history of complaints about their business practices and none with any experience in the movie industry, disrupted studio operations at RKO even further.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,890444-1,00.html|title=Show Business: The Winning Numbers|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=September 27, 1952|access-date=January 13, 2023}}</ref>

In 1953, Hughes became involved with a high-profile lawsuit as part of the settlement of the ''[[United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc.]]'' [[Antitrust]] Case. As a result of the hearings, the shaky status of RKO became increasingly apparent. A steady stream of lawsuits from RKO's minority shareholders had grown to become extremely annoying to Hughes. They had accused him of financial misconduct and corporate mismanagement. Since Hughes wanted to focus primarily on his aircraft manufacturing and TWA holdings during the years of the [[Korean War]] of 1950 to 1953, Hughes offered to buy out all other RKO stockholders in order to dispense with their distractions{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}.

By the end of 1954, Hughes had gained near-total control of RKO at a cost of nearly $24&nbsp;million, becoming the first sole owner of a major Hollywood studio since the [[silent film era|silent-film era]]. Six months later Hughes sold the studio to the [[General Tire and Rubber Company]] for $25&nbsp;million. Hughes retained the rights to pictures that he had personally produced, including those made at RKO. He also retained Jane Russell's contract. For Howard Hughes, this was the virtual end of his 25-year involvement in the motion-picture industry. However, his reputation as a financial wizard emerged unscathed. During that time period, RKO became known as the home of classic ''[[film noir]]'' productions, thanks in part to the limited budgets required to make such films during Hughes' tenure. Hughes reportedly walked away from RKO having made $6.5&nbsp;million in personal profit.<ref>Lasky 1989, p. 229.</ref> According to [[Noah Dietrich]], Hughes made a $10,000,000 profit from the sale of the theaters and made a profit of $1,000,000 from his 7-year ownership of RKO.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|272–273}}

===Real estate===
{{main|Howard Hughes Corporation}}

According to [[Noah Dietrich]], "Land became a principal asset for the Hughes empire". Hughes acquired 1200 acres in Culver City for Hughes Aircraft, bought 7 sections [4,480 acres] in Tucson for his Falcon missile-plant, and purchased 25,000 acres near Las Vegas.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|103, 254}} In 1968, the [[Hughes Tool Company]] purchased the North Las Vegas Air Terminal.

Originally known as [[Summa Corporation]], the Howard Hughes Corporation formed in 1972 when the oil-tools business of Hughes Tool Company, then owned by Howard Hughes Jr., floated on the [[New York Stock Exchange]] under the "Hughes Tool" name. This forced the remaining businesses of the "original" Hughes Tool to adopt a new corporate name: "Summa". The name "Summa"{{emdash}}Latin for "highest"{{emdash}}was adopted without the approval of Hughes himself, who preferred to keep his own name on the business, and suggested "HRH Properties" (for Hughes Resorts and Hotels, and also his own initials). In 1988 Summa announced plans for [[Summerlin, Nevada|Summerlin]], a master-planned community named for the paternal grandmother of Howard Hughes, Jean Amelia Summerlin.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/summerlin/what-is-the-real-history-of-summerlin-developer-unveils-archives-2910371/ | title=What is the real history of Summerlin? Developer unveils archives | first1=Patrick | last1=Blennerhassett |newspaper=Las Vegas Review-Journal | date=September 25, 2023 | accessdate=7 February 2024}}</ref>

Initially staying in the [[Desert Inn]], Hughes refused to vacate his room, and instead decided to purchase the entire hotel. Hughes extended his financial empire to include Las Vegas real estate, hotels, and media outlets, spending an estimated $300 million, and using his considerable powers to acquire many of the well-known hotels, especially the venues connected with [[organized crime]]. He quickly became one of the most powerful men in Las Vegas. He was instrumental in changing the image of Las Vegas from its [[Wild West]] and, later, [[American Mafia|Mafia]] / organized crime roots into a more refined cosmopolitan city.<ref name=PBS>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lasvegas-hughes/|title=Howard Hughes (1905-1976)|publisher=[[American Experience]]|accessdate=7 February 2024}}</ref> In addition to the Desert Inn, Hughes would eventually own the [[Las Vegas Sands|Sands]], [[New Frontier Hotel and Casino|Frontier]], [[Silver Slipper (Las Vegas)|Silver Slipper]], [[Castaways (casino)|Castaways]], and [[Landmark (hotel and casino)|Landmark]] and [[Harold's Club]] in Reno. During his four years in Las Vegas, Hughes became the largest employer in Nevada.<ref name=PBS/>

===Aviation and aerospace===
[[File:Howard Hughes.jpg|thumb|Hughes with his [[Boeing 100]] in the 1940s]]

Another portion of Hughes' commercial interests involved aviation, airlines, and the aerospace and defense industries. A lifelong aircraft enthusiast and pilot, Hughes survived four airplane accidents: one in a [[Thomas-Morse Scout]] while filming ''Hell's Angels'', one while setting the airspeed record in the Hughes Racer, one at Lake Mead in 1943, and the near-fatal crash of the [[Hughes XF-11]] in 1946. At Rogers Airport in Los Angeles, he learned to fly from pioneer aviators, including [[Moye Stephens]] and J.B. Alexander. He set many world records and commissioned the construction of custom aircraft for himself while heading [[Hughes Aircraft]] at the [[Grand Central Airport (United States)|airport in Glendale]], CA. Operating from there, the most technologically important aircraft he commissioned was the [[Hughes H-1 Racer]]. On September 13, 1935, Hughes, flying the H-1, set the landplane [[Flight airspeed record|airspeed record]] of {{convert|352|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} over his test course near [[Santa Ana, California]] ([[Giuseppe Motta (aviator)|Giuseppe Motta]] reaching 362&nbsp;mph in 1929 and [[George Stainforth]] reached 407.5&nbsp;mph in 1931, both in seaplanes). This marked the last time in history that an aircraft built by a private individual set the world airspeed record. A year and a half later, on January 19, 1937, flying the same H-1 Racer fitted with longer wings, Hughes set a new [[transcontinental airspeed record]] by flying non-stop from Los Angeles to Newark in seven hours, 28 minutes, and 25 seconds (beating his own previous record of nine hours, 27 minutes). His average ground-speed over the flight was {{convert|322|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref>Onkst, David H. [http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Explorers_Record_Setters_and_Daredevils/Hughes/EX28.htm "Howard R. Hughes Jr. – The Record Setter."] ''U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission'', 2003. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref><ref name=Noah/>{{rp|69–72, 131–135}}

The H-1 Racer featured a number of design innovations: it had retractable landing gear (as [[Boeing Monomail]] had five years before), and all rivets and joints set flush into the body of the aircraft to reduce drag. The H-1 Racer is thought to have influenced the design of a number of [[World War II]] fighters such as the [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]], [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]], and [[F8F Bearcat]],<ref>[http://www.wrightools.com/hughes/h1_history.htm "Aviator Howard Hughes H-1 Racer History."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050830082007/http://www.wrightools.com/hughes/h1_history.htm |date=August 30, 2005}} ''wrightools.com''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref> although that has never been reliably confirmed. In 1975 the H-1 Racer was donated to the [[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian]].<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|131–135}}

====Hughes Aircraft====
{{Main|Hughes Aircraft}}
[[File:HughesAircraftCo.png|right|thumb|Hughes Aircraft Company logo until 1985]]
In 1932 Hughes founded the [[Hughes Aircraft Company]], a division of Hughes Tool Company, in a rented corner of a [[Lockheed Aircraft Corporation]] hangar in Burbank, California, to build the H-1 racer.

Shortly after founding the company, Hughes used the alias "Charles Howard" to accept a job as a baggage handler for American Airlines. He was soon promoted to co-pilot.
Hughes continued to work for American Airlines until his real identity was discovered.<ref>
Anne Timm.
[https://www.grin.com/document/155425 "A Journey into the Life and Work of Howard Hughes"].
</ref><ref>
Darwin Porter
[https://books.google.com/books?id=zST0HS3memIC "Howard Hughes: Hell's Angel"].
2005.
p. 287.
</ref><ref>[https://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/hughes-howard-robard/ "Hughes, Howard Robard: Aviation Pioneer"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721053326/https://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/hughes-howard-robard/ |date=July 21, 2020 }}.</ref>

During and after World War II Hughes turned his company into a major defense contractor. The [[Hughes Helicopters]] division started in 1947 when [[helicopter]] manufacturer [[Kellett Autogiro Corporation|Kellett]] sold their latest design to Hughes for production. Hughes Aircraft became a major U.S. aerospace- and defense contractor, manufacturing numerous technology-related products that included spacecraft vehicles, military aircraft, radar systems, electro-optical systems, the first working laser, aircraft computer systems, missile systems, ion-propulsion engines (for space travel), commercial satellites, and other electronics systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hugheshistoric.com/southern-california-aerospace-industry/ |title=Hughes Industrial Historical District |access-date=January 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first=Joan Lisa |last=Bromberg |title=The Birth of the Laser |journal=Physics Today |date=1 October 1988 |volume=41 |issue=10 |pages=26–33 |doi=10.1063/1.881155 |bibcode=1988PhT....41j..26B |url= https://doi.org/10.1063/1.881155 |access-date=January 13, 2024 |issn=0031-9228 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite journal |first1=James S. |last1=Sovey |first2=Vincent K |last2=Rawlin |first3=Michael J |last3=Patterson |title=Ion Propulsion Development Projects in U.S.: Space Electric Rocket Test I to Deep Space 1 |journal=Journal of Propulsion and Power |date=2001 |volume=17 |issue=3 |pages=517–526 |doi=10.2514/2.5806 |url=https://doi.org/10.2514/2.5806|hdl=2060/20010093217 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

In 1948 Hughes created a new division of Hughes Aircraft: the [[Hughes Aerospace#Hughes Aerospace Group|Hughes Aerospace]] Group. The Hughes Space and Communications Group and the Hughes Space Systems Division were later spun off in 1948 to form their own divisions and ultimately became the [[Hughes Space and Communications Company#Hughes Space and Communications Group|Hughes Space and Communications Company]] in 1961. In 1953 Howard Hughes gave all his stock in the Hughes Aircraft Company to the newly formed Howard Hughes Medical Institute, thereby turning the aerospace and defense contractor into a tax-exempt charitable organization. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute sold Hughes Aircraft in 1985 to General Motors for $5.2 billion. In 1997 General Motors sold Hughes Aircraft to [[Raytheon]] and in 2000, sold Hughes Space & Communications to Boeing. A combination of Boeing, GM, and [[Raytheon]] acquired the [[Hughes Research Laboratories]], which focused on advanced developments in microelectronics, information & systems sciences, materials, sensors, and photonics; their work-space spans from basic research to product delivery. It has particularly emphasized capabilities in high-performance integrated circuits, high-power lasers, antennas, networking, and smart materials.

====Round-the-world flight====
On July 14, 1938, Hughes set another record by completing a flight around the world in just 91 hours (three days, 19 hours, 17 minutes),<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/15/wild-welcome-for-howard-hughes-after-world-record-flight-1938 |title=Wild welcome for Howard Hughes after world record flight – archive, 1938 |work=The Guardian |date=July 15, 2020 |access-date=August 25, 2021 }}</ref> beating the previous record of 186 hours (seven days, 18 hours, 49 minutes) set in 1933 by [[Wiley Post]] in a single-engine [[Lockheed Vega]] by almost four days. Hughes returned home ahead of photographs of his flight. Taking off from New York City, Hughes continued to Paris, Moscow, [[Omsk]], [[Yakutsk]], [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]], and [[Minneapolis]], then returning to New York City. For this flight he flew a [[Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra|Lockheed 14 Super Electra]] (NX18973, a twin-engine transport with a crew of four) fitted with the latest radio and navigational equipment. Harry Connor was the co-pilot, Thomas Thurlow the navigator, Richard Stoddart the engineer, and Ed Lund the mechanic. Hughes wanted the flight to be a triumph of U.S. aviation technology, illustrating that safe, long-distance air travel was possible. Albert Lodwick of [[Mystic, Iowa]], provided organizational skills as the [[Flight operations quality assurance|flight operations]] manager.<ref>{{cite web |title=Around the World in 91 Hours |url=http://www.historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM1P4Z_around-the-world-in-91-hours_Centerville-IA.html |work=Historical Marker Project website |access-date=July 27, 2016}}</ref> While Hughes had previously been relatively obscure despite his wealth, better known for dating [[Katharine Hepburn]], New York City now gave him a [[ticker-tape parade]] in the [[Canyon of Heroes]].<ref name="life19380725">[https://books.google.com/books?id=n08EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA9 "A Rich Young Texan with a Poet's Face Gets Hero's Welcome on World Flight."] ''Life'', July 25, 1938, pp. 9–11, 14. Retrieved: October 14, 2012.</ref><ref name=Noah/>{{rp|136–139}} Hughes and his crew were awarded the 1938 [[Collier Trophy]] for flying around the world in record time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36620777/the_marion_county_news/|title=Howard Hughes is Winner of Collier Trophy Award|newspaper=The Marion County News|location=Hamilton, Alabama|date=November 23, 1939|page=3|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="collier-1930-1939-winners">{{cite web |title=collier-1930-1939-winners |url=https://naa.aero/awards/awards-and-trophies/collier-trophy/collier-1930-1939-winners |website=NAA.aero |publisher=NAA |access-date=July 22, 2020 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027181404/https://naa.aero/awards/awards-and-trophies/collier-trophy/collier-1930-1939-winners |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was awarded the [[Harmon Trophy]] in 1936<ref name="nyt1936">[https://www.nytimes.com/1937/03/01/archives/air-prize-for-hughes-jean-batten-honored-american-crosscountry.html Air Prize for Hughes; Jean Batten Honored; American Cross-Country Flier and New Zealand Girl Get Harmon Trophies], ''New York Times'', March 1, 1937.</ref> and 1938 for the record-breaking global circumnavigation.<ref name="nyt1938">[https://www.nytimes.com/1939/03/25/archives/hughes-is-named-aviation-champion-roundtheworld-flier-gets-harmon.html "Hughes is Named Aviation Champion; Round-the-World Flier Gets Harmon Trophy – Olds of Army Wins Medal and Diploma", ''New York Times'', March 25, 1939].</ref>

In 1938 the [[William P. Hobby Airport]] in [[Houston|Houston, Texas]]—known at the time as Houston Municipal Airport—was renamed after Hughes, but the name was changed back due to public outrage over naming the airport after a living person. Hughes also had a role in the financing of the [[Boeing 307 Stratoliner]] for TWA, and the design and financing of the [[Lockheed L-049 Constellation]].<ref name=Rumerman>Rumerman, Judy. [http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Aerospace/Hughes/Aero44.htm "Hughes Aircraft."] ''centennialofflight.net'', 2003. Retrieved: August 5, 2008.</ref>

Other aviator awards include: the Bibesco Cup of the [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] in 1938, the [[Octave Chanute Award]] in 1940, and a special [[Congressional Gold Medal]] in 1939 "in recognition of the achievements of Howard Hughes in advancing the science of aviation and thus bringing great credit to his country throughout the world".<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fPuthOkm6hIC&dq=%22in+recognition+of+the+achievements+of+Howard+Hughes+in+advancing+the+science+of+aviation+and+thus+bringing+great+credit+to+his+country+throughout+the+world%22&pg=PA43 | title=Congressional Gold Medals 1776-2002 | first1=Stephen W. | last1=Stathis | publisher=Novinka Books | year=2003 | page=43 | isbn=1-59033-514-7 | accessdate=7 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 21, 2022 |title=Did You Know... Customs Furthered a Feat of Flight? |url=https://www.cbp.gov/about/history/did-you-know/feat-flight |access-date=March 3, 2023 |website=U.S. Customs and Border Protection}}</ref>

President [[Harry S. Truman]] sent the Congressional medal to Hughes after the F-11 crash. After his around-the-world flight, Hughes had declined to go to the White House to collect it.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|196}}

====Hughes D-2====
{{Main|Hughes D-2}}
Development of the D-2 began around 1937, but little is known about its early gestation because Hughes' archives on the aircraft have not been made public. Aircraft historian René Francillon speculates that Hughes designed the aircraft for another circumnavigation record attempt, but the outbreak of [[World War II]] closed much of the world's airspace and made it difficult to buy aircraft parts without government approval, so he decided to sell the aircraft to the U.S. Army instead. In December 1939, Hughes proposed that the [[United States Army Air Corps]] (USAAC) procure it as a "pursuit type airplane"{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=52–53}}  (i.e. a [[fighter aircraft]]). It emerged as a two or three-seat [[twin-boom aircraft]] powered by two [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800]]-49 engines and constructed mostly of [[Duramold]], a type of molded [[plywood]].{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=54,56}} The [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF, successor to the USAAC) struggled to define a mission for the D-2, which lacked both the maneuverability of a fighter and the payload of a [[bomber]], and was highly skeptical of the extensive use of plywood; however, the project was kept alive by high-level intervention from General [[Henry H. Arnold]].{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=55–56}} The prototype was brought to Harper's Dry Lake in California in great secrecy in 1943 and first flew on June 20 of that year.<ref>[http://aerofiles.com/_h.html "Aircraft Ha to Hy."] ''Aerofiles''. Retrieved: July 31, 2011.</ref>{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=56–57}} The initial test flights revealed serious [[flight control]] problems, so the D-2 returned to the hangar for extensive changes to its wings, and Hughes proposed to redesignate it as the D-5.{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=56–57}} However, in November 1944, the still-incomplete D-2 was destroyed in a hangar fire reportedly caused by a lightning strike.{{sfn|Francillon|1990|p=58}}

====Fatal crash of the Sikorsky S-43====
[[File:Howard Hughes S-43 Sikorsky.jpg|thumb|The S-43 Sikorsky in [[Brazoria County Airport]] in Texas]]
[[File:Howard R Hughes S-43 Sikorsky.jpg|thumb|[[Brazoria County Airport]] Texas: The S-43 Sikorsky prototype]]
In the spring of 1943 Hughes spent nearly a month in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], test-flying his [[Sikorsky S-43]] amphibious aircraft, practicing touch-and-go landings on [[Lake Mead]] in preparation for flying the [[H-4 Hercules]].<!---(He personally hated the name "Spruce Goose" that the media gave to the aircraft.)---> The weather conditions at the lake during the day were ideal and he enjoyed Las Vegas at night. On May 17, 1943, Hughes flew the Sikorsky from California, carrying two [[United States government role in civil aviation#Civil Aeronautics Authority|Civil Aeronautics Authority]] (CAA) aviation inspectors, two of his employees, and actress [[Ava Gardner]]. Hughes dropped Gardner off in Las Vegas and proceeded to Lake Mead to conduct qualifying tests in the S-43. The test flight did not go well. The Sikorsky crashed into Lake Mead, killing CAA inspector Ceco Cline and Hughes' employee Richard Felt. Hughes suffered a severe gash on the top of his head when he hit the upper control panel and had to be rescued by one of the others on board.<ref>[http://www.aviatorhowardhughes.com/hughes-lasvegas.htm "Hughes: Las Vegas."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328094805/http://www.aviatorhowardhughes.com/hughes-lasvegas.htm |date=March 28, 2012}} ''aviatorhowardhughes.com''. Retrieved: July 31, 2011.</ref> Hughes paid divers $100,000 to raise the aircraft and later spent more than $500,000 restoring it.<ref>Brown and Broeske 1996</ref> Hughes sent the plane to Houston, where it remained for many years.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|186}}

====Hughes XF-11====
{{Main|Hughes XF-11}}
Acting on a recommendation of the president's son, Colonel [[Elliott Roosevelt (general)|Elliott Roosevelt]], who had become friends with Hughes, in September 1943 General Arnold issued a directive to order 100 of a [[reconnaissance aircraft|reconnaissance]] development of the D-2, known as the F-11 ([[Hughes XF-11|XF-11]] in prototype form).{{sfn|Francillon|1990|p=73}} The project was controversial from the beginning, as the USAAF [[Air Materiel Command]] deeply doubted that Hughes Aircraft could fulfill a contract this large, but Arnold pushed the project forward. Materiel Command demanded a host of major design changes notably including the elimination of Duramold; Hughes, who sought $3.9 million in reimbursement for [[sunk costs]] from the D-2, strenuously objected because this undercut his argument that the XF-11 was a modified D-2 rather than a new design. Protracted negotiations caused months of delays but ultimately yielded few design concessions.{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=74–75}} The war ended before the first XF-11 prototype was completed and the F-11 production contract was canceled. The XF-11 emerged in 1946 as an all-metal, twin-boom, three-seat reconnaissance aircraft, substantially larger than the D-2 and powered by two [[Pratt & Whitney R-4360]]-31 engines, each driving a set of [[contra-rotating propellers]].{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=74–75}} Only two prototypes were completed; the second one had a conventional single propeller per side.<ref>Parker 2013, pp. 49–51.</ref>{{sfn|Francillon|1990|p=76}}

=====Near-fatal crash of the XF-11=====
[[File:1946-07-11 Hughes Plane Crash.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=3|1946 newsreel]]
Hughes was almost killed on July 7, 1946, while performing the first flight of the XF-11 near Hughes Airfield at [[Culver City, California]]. Hughes extended the test flight well beyond the 45-minute limit decreed by the USAAF, possibly distracted by [[landing gear]] retraction problems.{{sfn|Francillon|1990|pp=75–76}} An oil leak caused one of the contra-rotating propellers to reverse pitch, causing the aircraft to [[Yaw angle|yaw]] sharply and lose altitude rapidly. Hughes attempted to save the aircraft by landing it at the [[Los Angeles Country Club]] golf course, but just seconds before reaching the course, the XF-11 started to drop dramatically and crashed in the [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]] neighborhood surrounding the country club.<ref>[http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/XF-11_crash_site.htm "Crash of the XF-11."] ''check-six.com''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref><ref>Parker 2013, pp. 50–51.</ref>

When the XF-11 finally came to a halt after destroying three houses, the fuel tanks exploded, setting fire to the aircraft and a nearby home at 808 Whittier Drive owned by Charles E. Meyer.<ref>Barlett and Steele 2004, p. 140.</ref> Hughes managed to pull himself out of the flaming wreckage but lay beside the aircraft until he was rescued by [[USMC|U.S. Marine Corps]] [[Master sergeant#United States|Master Sergeant]] William L. Durkin,<!--Do NOT wikilink Durkin – name has a redirect to this particular section.--> who happened to be in the area visiting friends.<ref>[http://www.sunjournal.com/node/127134 "William Durkin, Howard Hughes crash rescuer, dies."] ''Nation SunJournal'', May 1, 2006. Retrieved: July 4, 2013.</ref> Hughes sustained significant injuries in the crash, including a crushed [[collar bone]], multiple cracked ribs,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090216001747/http://theaviatorhh.com/xf-11.htm "Howard Hughes: XF-11."]}} ''UNLV Libraries' Howard Hughes Collection''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref> crushed chest with collapsed left lung, shifting his heart to the right side of the chest cavity, and numerous third-degree [[burn (injury)|burns]].<ref name=oxupff>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NDBLAAAAIBAJ&pg=1594%2C4326272 |work= Oxnard Press-Courier |location=California |agency=United Press |title=Howard Hughes, millionaire airplane designer, fights for life |date=July 8, 1946 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=huinjc>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HlkVAAAAIBAJ&pg=3888%2C1974120 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Hughes injured in plane crash |date=July 8, 1946 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=ffflch>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZixWAAAAIBAJ&pg=4543%2C2174506 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Howard Hughes given "50–50" life chance |date=July 9, 1946 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=lipbyac>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NTBLAAAAIBAJ&pg=5713%2C4358206 |work=Oxnard Press-Courier |location=California |agency=United Press |title= Hughes puts life in peril by activity |date=July 9, 1946 |page=1}}</ref> An oft-told story said that Hughes sent a check to the Marine weekly for the remainder of his life as a sign of gratitude. Noah Dietrich asserted that Hughes did send Durkin $200 a month, but Durkin's daughter denied knowing that he received any money from Hughes.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|197}}<ref>[http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/obituaries/articles/2006/05/02/william_durkin_rescued_howard_hughes_in_crash/ "William Durkin; rescued Howard Hughes in crash."]  ''Boston.com,'' May 2, 2006. Retrieved: January 17, 2012.</ref>

Despite his physical injuries, Hughes took pride that his mind was still working. As he lay in his hospital bed, he decided that he did not like the bed's design. He called in plant engineers to design a customized bed, equipped with hot and cold running water, built in six sections, and operated by 30 electric motors, with push-button adjustments.<ref>"Hughes Designs Hospital Bed." ''Associated Press'' wire article, August 14, 1946.</ref> Hughes designed the hospital bed specifically to alleviate the pain caused by moving with severe burn injuries. He never used the bed that he designed.<ref name="Barlett and Steele p. 143">Barlett and Steele 2004, p. 143.</ref> Hughes' doctors considered his recovery almost miraculous.

Many attribute his long-term dependence on [[opioid|opiates]] to his use of [[codeine]] as a painkiller during his convalescence.<ref name=PPM.Tennant>{{cite journal |first=Forest |last=Tennant |date=July–August 2007 |title= Howard Hughes & Pseudoaddiction |url=http://pain-topics.org/pdf/HowardHughesPseudoaddict.pdf |journal= Practical Pain Management |publisher= PPM Communications, Inc. |location=Montclair, New Jersey |volume=6 |issue=7 |pages=12–29 |access-date=January 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925191015/http://pain-topics.org/pdf/HowardHughesPseudoaddict.pdf |archive-date=September 25, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Yet Dietrich asserts that Hughes recovered the "hard way—no sleeping pills, no opiates of any kind".<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|195}} The trademark mustache he wore afterward hid a [[scar]] on his upper lip resulting from the accident.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Bill Schwartz (director) |title=Howard Hughes – The Real Aviator |medium=DVD |location=Los Angeles, California |publisher=[[Shout! Factory]] |date=2004}}</ref>

====H-4 Hercules====
{{Main|Hughes H-4 Hercules}}
[[File:H-4 Hercules 2.jpg|thumb|The [[Hughes H-4 Hercules]] with Hughes at the controls]]
The [[War Production Board]], a civilian government agency that supervised war production from 1942 to 1945, originally contracted with [[Henry J. Kaiser|Henry Kaiser]] and Hughes to produce the gigantic HK-1 Hercules flying boat for use during [[World War II]] to transport troops and equipment across the Atlantic as an alternative to seagoing troop transport ships that were vulnerable to German [[U-boat]]s. The military services opposed the project, thinking it would siphon resources from higher-priority programs, but Hughes' powerful allies in Washington, D.C. advocated it. After disputes, Kaiser withdrew from the project and Hughes elected to continue it as the H-4 Hercules. However, the aircraft was not completed until after World War II.<ref>Parker 2013, pp. 49–58.</ref><ref>Herman 2012, pp. 277–280.</ref>

The Hercules was the world's largest flying boat, the largest aircraft made from wood,<ref>[http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/design/q0188.shtml "Largest Plane in the World."] ''Aerospaceweb.org'' . Retrieved: March 18, 2009.</ref> and, at {{convert|319|ft|11|in|m}}, had the longest [[wingspan]] of any aircraft (the next-largest wingspan was about {{convert|310|ft|m|0|abbr=on}}). (The Hercules is no longer the longest nor heaviest aircraft ever built - surpassed by the [[Antonov An-225 Mriya|Antonov An-225 ''Mriya'']] produced in 1985.)

The Hercules flew only once for {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}}, and {{convert|70|ft|m}} above the water, with Hughes at the controls, on November 2, 1947.<ref>{{cite book|last= Parker|first= Dana T.|title= Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II|page= 58|location= Cypress, California|date= 2013|asin= B00HVPF23W}}</ref><ref name=Noah/>{{rp|209–210}}

Critics nicknamed the Hercules the ''Spruce Goose'', but it was actually made largely from [[birch]] (not [[spruce]]) rather than from aluminum, because the contract required that Hughes build the aircraft of "non-[[strategic material]]s". It was built in Hughes' [[Westchester, California]], facility. In 1947, Howard Hughes was summoned to testify before the [[Senate War Investigating Committee]] to explain why the H-4 development had been so troubled, and why $22 million had produced only two prototypes of the XF-11. General Elliott Roosevelt and numerous other USAAF officers were also called to testify in hearings that transfixed the nation during August and November 1947.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} In hotly-disputed testimony over [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]]'s route awards and malfeasance in the defense-acquisition process, Hughes turned the tables on his main interlocutor, Maine senator [[Owen Brewster]], and the hearings were widely interpreted{{by whom|date=August 2020}} as a Hughes victory. After being displayed at the harbor of Long Beach, California, the Hercules was moved to [[McMinnville, Oregon]], where {{as of | 2020 | lc = on}} it features at the [[Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum]].<ref>[http://www.evergreenmuseum.org/the-museum/aircraft-exhibits/the-spruce-goose/ "Spruce Goose."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927201715/http://evergreenmuseum.org/the-museum/aircraft-exhibits/the-spruce-goose/ |date=September 27, 2015 }} ''Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum''. Retrieved: December 14, 2011.</ref><ref name=Noah/>{{rp|198–208}}

On November 4, 2017, the 70th anniversary of the only flight of the H-4 Hercules was celebrated at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum with Hughes' paternal cousin Michael Wesley Summerlin and Brian Palmer Evans, son of Hughes radio technology pioneer Dave Evans, taking their positions in the recreation of a photo that was previously taken of Hughes, Dave Evans, and [[Joe Petrali]] on board the H-4 Hercules.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/events/?eventSearch=1&eventSearchDateFrom=April%2011,%202017&eventSearchDateTo=April%2011,%202018&eventSearchText= |website=Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum |title=McMinnville Oregon over the 65 limit |language=en |access-date=December 27, 2017}}</ref>

====Airlines====
In 1939, at the urging of [[Jack Frye]], president of Transcontinental & Western Airlines, the predecessor of [[Trans World Airlines]] ([[TWA]]), Hughes began to quietly purchase a majority share of TWA stock (78% of stock, to be exact); he took a controlling interest in the airline by 1944.<ref name=":1">Bartlett and Steele 2011, p. 216.</ref> Although he never had an official position with TWA, Hughes handpicked the board of directors, which included [[Noah Dietrich]], and often issued orders directly to airline staff.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{cite news |url=https://www.stlmag.com/TWA-Death-Of-A-Legend/|title= TWA – Death Of A Legend |last=Grant |first=Elaine X. |date=July 28, 2006 |work=St. Louis Magazine |access-date=January 10, 2018 |language=en-US}}</ref> Hughes Tool Co. purchased the first six [[Boeing C-75 Stratoliner|Stratoliners]] Boeing manufactured. Hughes used one personally, and he let TWA operate the other five.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|11,145–148}}
[[File:Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation, Trans World Airlines (TWA) JP7078570.jpg|thumb|Lockheed Constellation in TWA livery]]
Hughes is commonly credited as the driving force behind the [[Lockheed Constellation]] airliner, which Hughes and Frye ordered in 1939 as a long-range replacement for TWA's fleet of [[Boeing 307 Stratoliner]]s. Hughes personally financed TWA's acquisition of 40 Constellations for $18 million, the largest aircraft order in history up to that time. The Constellations were among the highest-performing commercial aircraft of the late 1940s and 1950s and allowed TWA to pioneer nonstop transcontinental service.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://airwaysmag.com/best-of-airways/howard-hughes-twas-constellations/ |title=Howard Hughes and TWA'S Constellations  |date=June 6, 2016 |work=Airways Magazine |access-date=January 10, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=January 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111165158/https://airwaysmag.com/best-of-airways/howard-hughes-twas-constellations/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> During World War II Hughes leveraged political connections in Washington to obtain rights for TWA to serve Europe, making it the only U.S. carrier with a combination of domestic and transatlantic routes.<ref name=":1" />

After the announcement of the [[Boeing 707]], Hughes opted to pursue a more advanced jet aircraft for TWA and approached [[Convair]] in late 1954. Convair proposed two concepts to Hughes, but Hughes was unable to decide which concept to adopt, and Convair eventually abandoned its initial jet project after the mockups of the 707 and [[Douglas DC-8]] were unveiled.<ref>Barlett and Steele 2011, pp. 218–219.</ref> Even after competitors such as [[United Airlines]], [[American Airlines]] and [[Pan American World Airways]] had placed large orders for the 707, Hughes only placed eight orders for 707s through the Hughes Tool Company and forbade TWA from using the aircraft.<ref name=":2" /> After finally beginning to reserve 707 orders in 1956, Hughes embarked on a plan to build his own "superior" jet aircraft for TWA, applied for [[Civil Aeronautics Board|CAB]] permission to sell Hughes aircraft to TWA, and began negotiations with the state of Florida to build a manufacturing plant there. However, he abandoned this plan around 1958, and in the interim, negotiated new contracts for 707 and [[Convair 880]] aircraft and engines totaling $400 million.<ref>Barlett and Steele 2011, pp. 219–222.</ref>

The financing of TWA's jet orders precipitated the end of Hughes' relationship with [[Noah Dietrich]], and ultimately Hughes' ouster from control of TWA. Hughes did not have enough cash on hand or future cash flow to pay for the orders and did not immediately seek bank financing. Hughes' refusal to heed Dietrich's financing advice led to a major rift between the two by the end of 1956. Hughes believed that Dietrich wished to have Hughes committed as mentally incompetent, although the evidence of this is inconclusive. Dietrich resigned by telephone in May 1957 after repeated requests for stock options, which Hughes refused to grant, and with no further progress on the jet financing.<ref>Barlett and Steele 2011, pp. 224–228.</ref> As Hughes' mental state worsened, he ordered various tactics to delay payments to Boeing and Convair; his behavior led TWA's banks to insist that he be removed from management as a condition for further financing.<ref name=":2" />

In 1960, Hughes was ultimately forced out of the management of TWA, although he continued to own 78% of the company. In 1961, TWA filed suit against Hughes Tool Company, claiming that the latter had violated antitrust law by using TWA as a captive market for aircraft trading. The claim was largely dependent upon obtaining testimony from Hughes himself. Hughes went into hiding and refused to testify. A default judgment was issued against Hughes Tool Company for $135 million in 1963 but was overturned by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in 1973,<ref>{{cite court |litigants= Hughes Tool Co. v. Trans World Airlines, Inc. |vol= 409|reporter= U.S.|opinion= 363 |pinpoint=  |court= |date= 1973 |url= https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/409/363/|quote= |postscript= }}</ref> on the basis that Hughes was immune from prosecution.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/23/archives/just-about-everybody-versus-howard-hughes-the-strange-case-of-twa.html|title=The strange case of T.W.A. vs. Howard Hughes vs. T.W.A.|last=Brooks|first=John|date=December 23, 1973|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 10, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 1966, Hughes was forced to sell his TWA shares. The sale of his TWA shares brought Hughes $546,549,771.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|299–300}}

Hughes acquired control of Boston-based [[Northeast Airlines]] in 1962. However, the airline's lucrative route authority between major northeastern cities and Miami was terminated by a CAB decision around the time of the acquisition, and Hughes sold control of the company to a trustee in 1964. Northeast went on to merge with [[Delta Air Lines]] in 1972.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.deltamuseum.org/exhibits/delta-history/family-tree/northeast-airlines|title=Northeast Airlines|website=www.deltamuseum.org|access-date=January 8, 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Hughes Airwest McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 Silagi-1.jpg|thumb|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets in Hughes Airwest livery]]
In 1970, Hughes acquired San Francisco-based Air West and renamed it [[Hughes Airwest]]. Air West had been formed in 1968 by the merger of [[Bonanza Air Lines]], [[Pacific Air Lines]], and [[West Coast Airlines]], all of which operated in the western U.S. By the late 1970s, Hughes Airwest operated an all-jet fleet of [[Boeing 727-200]], [[Douglas DC-9-10]], and [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30]] jetliners serving an extensive route network in the western U.S. with flights to Mexico and western Canada as well.<ref name="departedflights1">{{cite web|url=http://www.departedflights.com/|title=index|website=www.departedflights.com}}</ref> By 1980, the airline's route system reached as far east as Houston ([[Hobby Airport]]) and [[Milwaukee]] with a total of 42 destinations being served.<ref name="departedflights1"/> Hughes Airwest was then acquired by and merged into [[Republic Airlines (1979–1986)]] in late 1980. Republic was subsequently acquired by and merged into [[Northwest Airlines]] which in turn was ultimately merged into [[Delta Air Lines]] in 2008.

=== Business with David Charnay ===

Hughes made numerous business partnerships through his friend, the industrialist and producer David Charnay,<ref name="His Life and Madness">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IS7Cq3Ypj8kC |author=Donald L. Barlett |author2=James B. Steele |title= Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness |publisher=W.W. Norton Company |year=2004 |pages=390, 495, 614 |isbn= 0393326020}}</ref><ref name="Film Noir FAQ">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=UGBfAgAAQBAJ |author=David J. Hogan |title= Film Noir FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Hollywood's Golden Age of Dames, Detectives, and Danger |publisher=Applause theater and cinema |year=2013|isbn= 978-1480343054}}</ref> beginning with their work on the film ''[[The Conqueror (1956 film)|The Conqueror]] (1956)''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049092/ | title=The Conqueror | work=[[IMDb]] | date=March 28, 1956 | access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia of Television">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=EccHRAAACAAJ |author=Horace Newcomb |title= Encyclopedia of Television |publisher=Routledge |year=2014|page=1801 |isbn= 978-1579583941}}</ref> Though the film made money at the box office, its themes, dialogue, and casting were ridiculed. It was shot in [[St. George, Utah]], which had been badly affected by the testing of more than 100 nuclear bombs. Many of the cast and crew were later diagnosed with cancer, leading it to be called an "RKO Radioactive Picture". Hughes eventually bought every copy of the film he could, and is reported to have watched the film at home every night in the years before he died.<ref name="Carroll 2015 t033">{{cite news| last=Carroll | first=Rory | title=Hollywood and the downwinders still grapple with nuclear fallout | website=the Guardian | date=June 6, 2015 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/06/downwinders-nuclear-fallout-hollywood-john-wayne | access-date=April 17, 2024}}</ref>

Charnay later bought [[Four Star Television|Four Star]], the film and television production company that produced ''The Conqueror.''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2002/scene/people-news/david-charnay-1117873977/|title=David Charnay Former Four Star chief|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=October 7, 2002|access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/06/downwinders-nuclear-fallout-hollywood-john-wayne|title=Hollywood and the downwinders still grapple with nuclear fallout|work=[[TheGuardian.com|The Guardian]]|date=June 6, 2015|access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref>

Hughes and Charnay's most published dealings were with a contested AirWest [[leveraged buyout]]. Charnay led the buyout group that involved Howard Hughes and their partners acquiring Air West. Hughes, Charnay, as well as three others, were indicted.<ref name=char9/><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/30/archives/jury-refuses-to-vote-indictment-that-omits-hughes-accused-of.html | title=Jury Refuses to Vote Indictment That Omits Hughes |work=[[The New York Times|New York Times]] | date=July 30, 1974 | access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White%20Materials/Security-CIA/CIA%201706.pdf | title=3 Hughes Associates Deny Guilt In AirWest Case |work=[[The New York Times|Hood College's Harold Weisberg Archive, Digital Collection]] | date=January 14, 1977 | access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/H%20Disk/Hughes%20Howard/Item%20001.pdf |title=Indicting Hughes |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Hood College's Harold Weisberg Archive, Digital Collection]] |date=January 7, 1974 |access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref> The indictment, made by U.S. Attorney DeVoe Heaton, accused the group of conspiring to drive down the stock price of Air West in order to pressure company directors to sell to Hughes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/1974/di1974-01-31.pdf |title=Hughes Fraud Charges Dropped |work=[[The Daily Iowan]] |date=January 31, 1974 |access-date=January 28, 2017}}</ref><ref name=char9>{{cite court|url=http://openjurist.org/537/f2d/341/united-states-v-b-charnay |litigants=United States v. David B. Charnay|date=May 7, 1976 |reporter=F2d |vol=537 |opinion=341 |access-date=December 24, 2021 |court=9th Cir.}}</ref> The charges were dismissed after a judge had determined that the indictment had failed to allege an illegal action on the part of Hughes, Charnay, and all the other accused in the indictment. Thompson, the federal judge that made the decision to dismiss the charges, called the indictment one of the worst claims that he had ever seen. The charges were filed a second time by U.S. Attorney DeVoe Heaton's assistant, Dean Vernon. The Federal Judge ruled on November 13, 1974, and elaborated to say that the case suggested a "reprehensible misuse of the power of great wealth," but in his judicial opinion, "no crime had been committed."<ref name="HughesWorld">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=di04thgoPGMC |author=Arelo C. Sederberg |title=Hughesworld: The Strange Life and Death of an American Legend |publisher=iUniverse |year=2013|isbn= 978-1475969221}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1974/01/31/page/5/article/hughes-fraud-indictment-dropped |title=Hughes Fraud Indictment Dropped |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=January 31, 1974 |access-date=January 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/11/14/archives/highes-3-others-cleared-by-judge-in-air-west-case.html |title=Hughes 3 Others by Judge In Air West Case |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 14, 1974 |access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref> The aftermath of the Air West deal was later settled with the [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] by paying former stockholders for alleged losses from the sale of their investment in Air West stock.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1979/01/20/hughes-estate-agrees-to-pay-airlines-stockholders-30-million/30f2a5b9-63e1-4f3d-9b08-2c7eaa80f357/ | title=Hughes Estate Agrees to Pay Airline's Stockholders $30 Million | newspaper=Washington Post | date=January 20, 1979 | access-date=January 28, 2017}}</ref> As noted above, Air West was subsequently renamed [[Hughes Airwest]]. During a long pause between the years of the dismissed charges against Hughes, Charnay, and their partners, Howard Hughes died mid-flight while on the way to Houston from Acapulco. No further attempts were made to file any indictments after Hughes died.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://people.com/archive/howard-hughes-doctor-gives-a-chilling-description-of-his-strange-patients-final-hours-vol-12-no-5/

 | title=Howard Hughes' Doctor Gives a Chilling Description of His Strange Patient's Final Hours | work=[[People (magazine)|People]] | date=July 30, 1979 | access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/howard-hughes-dies | title=This Day In History Howard Hughes Dies | work=[[People (magazine)|People]] | date=April 5, 1976 | access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://abc13.com/news/the-day-howard-hughes-died/1279496/ | title=Houston's last tycoon. ABC13 Coverage of the death of Howard Hughes (archived)| work=[[KTRK-TV|Houston's ABC13]] | date=July 3, 2017 | access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref>

==Howard Hughes Medical Institute==
{{Main|Howard Hughes Medical Institute}}

In 1953, Hughes launched the [[Howard Hughes Medical Institute]] in Miami (currently located in [[Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland|Chevy Chase, Maryland]] near [[Washington, D.C.]]), with the express goal of basic [[biomedical research]], including trying to understand, in Hughes' words, the "genesis of life itself,"{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} due to his lifelong interest in science and technology. Hughes' first [[Will and testament|will]], which he signed in 1925 at the age of 19, stipulated that a portion of his estate should be used to create a medical institute bearing his name.<ref>Brown and Broeske 1996, p. 34.</ref> When a major battle with the IRS loomed ahead, Hughes gave all his stock in the Hughes Aircraft Company to the institute, thereby turning the aerospace and defense contractor into a for-profit entity of a fully tax-exempt charity. Hughes' internist, [[Verne Mason]], who treated Hughes after his 1946 aircraft crash, was chairman of the institute's medical advisory committee.<ref>"Dr. Verne Mason. Miami Physician. Howard Hughes aide dies. Also treated Pershing." ''The New York Times,'' November 17, 1965.</ref> The Howard Hughes Medical Institute's new board of trustees sold Hughes Aircraft in 1985 to General Motors for $5.2 billion, allowing the institute to grow dramatically.

In 1954, Hughes transferred Hughes Aircraft to the foundation, which paid Hughes Tool Co. $18,000,000 for the assets. The foundation leased the land from Hughes Tool Co., which then subleased it to Hughes Aircraft Corp. The difference in rent, $2,000,000 per year, became the foundation's working capital.<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|268}}

The deal was the topic of a protracted legal battle between Hughes and the [[Internal Revenue Service]], which Hughes ultimately won. After his death in 1976, many thought that the balance of Hughes' estate would go to the institute, although it was ultimately divided among his cousins and other heirs, given the lack of a will to the contrary. The HHMI was the fourth largest private organization {{as of|2007|lc=y}} and one of the largest devoted to biological and medical research, with an [[Financial endowment|endowment]] of $20.4 billion {{as of|2018|June|lc=y|df=}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Financials |publisher=Howard Hughes Medical Institute |access-date=October 7, 2019 |url=https://www.hhmi.org/about/financials}}</ref>

==''Glomar Explorer'' and the taking of ''K-129''==
{{Main|USNS Glomar Explorer (T-AG-193)}}

In 1972, during the [[Cold War|Cold War era]], Hughes was approached by the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] through his longtime partner, David Charnay, to help secretly recover the Soviet [[submarine]] ''[[Soviet submarine K-129 (1960)|K-129]]'', which had sunk near Hawaii four years earlier.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//nukevault/ebb305/doc01.pdf |title=C05301269 |publisher=[[George Washington University|GWU Freedom of Information Act Research]]|access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref> Hughes' involvement provided the CIA with a plausible cover story, conducting expensive civilian marine research at extreme depths and the mining of undersea [[manganese nodule]]s. The recovery plan used the special-purpose salvage vessel ''[[Glomar Explorer]]''. In the summer of 1974, ''Glomar Explorer'' attempted to raise the Soviet vessel.<ref name="The Taking of K-129">{{cite book |url= https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534584/the-taking-of-k-129-by-josh-dean/9781101984437/ |author=Josh Dean |title= The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2017 |page=50 |isbn= 978-0525501534}}</ref><ref>Burleson 1997, p. 33.</ref> However, during the recovery, a mechanical failure in the ship's [[Grapple (tool)|grapple]] caused half of the submarine to break off and fall to the ocean floor. This section is believed to have held many of the most sought-after items, including its code book and nuclear missiles. Two nuclear-tipped torpedoes and some cryptographic machines were recovered, along with the bodies of six Soviet submariners who were subsequently given formal burial at sea in a filmed ceremony. The operation, known as [[Project Azorian]] (but incorrectly referred to by the press as Project Jennifer), became public in February 1975 after secret documents, obtained by burglars of Hughes' headquarters in June 1974, were released.<ref>Burleson 1997, pp. 157–158.</ref> Although he lent his name and his company's resources to the operation, Hughes and his companies had no operational involvement in the project. The ''Glomar Explorer'' was eventually acquired by [[Transocean]], and was sent to the scrap yard in 2015 during a large decline in oil prices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/local/2017/10/26/u-s-snatched-up-russian-sub/782204001/ |title=Using Howard Hughes as cover, the U.S. snatched up a Russian sub |publisher=[[Kitsap Sun|Kitsap Sun NewsPaper Online]]|access-date=November 3, 2017}}</ref>

==Personal life==
=== Early romances ===

Hughes dated many famous women, including [[Joan Crawford]], [[Terry Moore (actress)|Terry Moore]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Actress Terry Moore, 94, Says Ex Howard Hughes Did 'Unthinkable Things': 'I Was Too Naive' (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/movies/terry-moore-howard-hughes-did-unthinkable-things-exclusive/ |access-date=2024-12-01 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Debra Paget]], [[Billie Dove]], [[Faith Domergue]], [[Bette Davis]], [[Yvonne De Carlo]], [[Ava Gardner]], [[Olivia de Havilland]], [[Katharine Hepburn]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hepburn|first=Katharine|title=Me: Stories of My Life|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.|year=1991|isbn=0679400516|location=New York|pages=193–205}}</ref> [[Hedy Lamarr]], [[Ginger Rogers]], [[Pat Sheehan (model)|Pat Sheehan]],<ref>{{cite book |url={{Google books|LongDwAAQBAJ|page=64|plainurl=yes}} |title=Pat: A Biography of Hollywood's Blonde Starlet |first=Samuel |last=Clemens |publisher=Sequoia Press |year=1987 |isbn=978-0394544120}}</ref> [[Gloria Vanderbilt]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Vanderbilt|first=Gloria|title=Black Knight, White Knight|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.|year=1987|isbn=0679400516|location=New York}}</ref> [[Mamie Van Doren]] and [[Gene Tierney]].

He also proposed to [[Joan Fontaine]] several times, according to her [[autobiography]] ''No Bed of Roses''. [[Jean Harlow]] accompanied him to the premiere of ''Hell's Angels'', but Noah Dietrich wrote many years later that the relationship was strictly professional, as Hughes disliked Harlow personally. In his 1971 book, ''Howard: The Amazing Mr. Hughes'', Dietrich said that Hughes genuinely liked and respected [[Jane Russell]], but never sought romantic involvement with her. According to Russell's autobiography, however, Hughes once tried to bed her after a party. Russell (who was married at the time) refused him, and Hughes promised it would never happen again. The two maintained a professional and private friendship for many years. Hughes remained good friends with Tierney who, after his failed attempts to seduce her, was quoted as saying "I don't think Howard could love anything that did not have a motor in it". Later, when Tierney's daughter Daria was born deaf and blind and with a severe [[learning disability]] because of Tierney's exposure to [[rubella]] during her pregnancy, Hughes saw to it that Daria received the best medical care and paid all expenses.<ref>Tierney and Herskowitz 1978, p. 97.</ref>

=== Luxury yacht ===

In 1933, Hughes made a purchase of a luxury steam yacht named the ''[[Rover (yacht)|Rover]]'', which was previously owned by Scottish shipping magnate [[James Mackay, 1st Earl of Inchcape]]. Hughes stated that "I have never seen the ''Rover'' but bought it on the blueprints, photographs and the reports of Lloyd's surveyors. My experience is that the English are the most honest race in the world."<ref>[http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19331221-1.2.8.aspx "Lord Inchcape's Yacht Bought By American."] ''The Straits Times'' (Singapore Government), December 21, 1933. Retrieved: September 23, 2014.</ref> Hughes renamed the yacht ''Southern Cross'' and later sold her to Swedish entrepreneur [[Axel Wenner-Gren]].<ref>Wisner, Bill. [https://books.google.com/books?id=RnSxbgpkVWoC&pg=PA27 "The Golden Age of Yachts."] ''Motor Boating'', December 1975. Retrieved: September 23, 2014.</ref>

=== 1936 automobile accident ===

On July 11, 1936, Hughes struck and killed a pedestrian named Gabriel S. Meyer with his car at the corner of 3rd Street and Lorraine in Los Angeles.<ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/483044492.html?dids=483044492:483044492&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+12%2C+1936&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=HOWARD+HUGHES'+AUTO+KILLS+MAN+IN+HOLLYWOOD&pqatl=google "Howard Hughes' auto kills man in Hollywood."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107161839/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/483044492.html?dids=483044492%3A483044492&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE%3AAI&type=historic&date=Jul+12%2C+1936&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=HOWARD+HUGHES%27+AUTO+KILLS+MAN+IN+HOLLYWOOD&pqatl=google |date=November 7, 2012 }} ''Chicago Tribune'', July 12, 1936. Retrieved: December 13, 2009.</ref> After the crash, Hughes was taken to the hospital and certified as sober, but an attending doctor made a note that Hughes had been drinking. A witness to the crash told police that Hughes was driving erratically and too fast and that Meyer had been standing in the safety zone of a streetcar stop. Hughes was booked on suspicion of [[negligent homicide]] and held overnight in jail until his attorney, [[Neil S. McCarthy]], obtained a writ of ''[[habeas corpus]]'' for his release pending a coroner's inquest.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120725093952/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/402103021.html?dids=402103021:402103021&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+13%2C+1936&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Sportsman+Arrested+After+Traffic+Death&pqatl=google "Sportsman Arrested After Traffic Death."] ''Los Angeles Times'', July 13, 1936. Retrieved: December 13, 2009.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120725053700/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/460156432.html?dids=460156432:460156432&FMT=CITE&FMTS=CITE:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+13%2C+1936&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=HOWARD+HUGHES+FACING+HEARING+IN+AUTO+DEATH&pqatl=google "Howard Hughes facing hearing in auto death."] ''Chicago Tribune'', July 12, 1936. Retrieved: December 13, 2009.</ref> By the time of the coroner's inquiry, however, the witness had changed his story and claimed that Meyer had moved directly in front of Hughes' car. Nancy Bayly (Watts), who was in the car with Hughes at the time of the crash, corroborated this version of the story. On July 16, 1936, Hughes was held blameless by a coroner's jury at the inquest into Meyer's death.<ref>[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/402113781.html?dids=402113781:402113781&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+16%2C+1936&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Millionaire+Flyer+and+Society+Girl+Testify+at+Inquest&pqatl=google "Millionaire Flyer and Society Girl testify at Inquest."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107161900/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/402113781.html?dids=402113781:402113781&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jul+16%2C+1936&author=&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Millionaire+Flyer+and+Society+Girl+Testify+at+Inquest&pqatl=google |date=November 7, 2012 }} ''Los Angeles Times'', July 13, 1936. Retrieved: December 13, 2009.</ref> Hughes told reporters outside the inquiry, "I was driving slowly and a man stepped out of the darkness in front of me".

===Marriage to Jean Peters===
On January 12, 1957, Hughes married actress [[Jean Peters]] at a small hotel in [[Tonopah, Nevada]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/660194603/Small-town-plans-Hughes-museum.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925045736/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/660194603/Small-town-plans-Hughes-museum.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 25, 2018|title=Small town plans Hughes museum|date=February 11, 2007|website=DeseretNews.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-21-me-39956-story.html|title=Jean Peters; Actress in Film, TV Married Howard Hughes|first=Elaine|last=Woo|date=October 21, 2000|via=LA Times}}</ref> The couple met in the 1940s, before Peters became a film actress.<ref>The ''Delta Democrat-Times'' (Greenville, Mississippi), September 29, 1946, p. 4.</ref> They had a highly publicized romance in 1947 and there was talk of marriage, but she said she could not combine it with her career.<ref name="wdc">"Interview with [[Louella Parsons]]." ''Waterloo Daily Courier'' (Waterloo, Iowa), October 12, 1947, p. 19.</ref> Some later claimed that Peters was "the only woman [Hughes] ever loved",<ref>Anderson, Jack with Les Whitten. "Hughes and Jean Peters." ''[[The Gadsden Times]]'', April 13, 1976, p. 4.</ref> and he reportedly had his security officers follow her everywhere even when they were not in a relationship. Such reports were confirmed by actor [[Max Showalter]], who became a close friend of Peters while shooting ''[[Niagara (1953 film)|Niagara]]'' (1953).<ref name="casey">Weaver 2004, p. 9.</ref> Showalter told an interviewer that because he frequently met with Peters, Hughes' men threatened to ruin his career if he did not leave her alone.<ref name="casey" />

=== Connections to Richard Nixon and Watergate ===

Shortly before the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960 Presidential election]], [[Richard Nixon]] was alarmed when it was revealed that his brother, [[Donald Nixon|Donald]], had received a $205,000 loan from Hughes. It has long been speculated<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_spectator/2012/04/robert_redford_s_watergate_documentary_will_it_explain_whether_nixon_ordered_the_watergate_break_in_.html|title=A Challenge to Robert Redford|last=Rosenbaum|first=Ron|date=April 27, 2012|work=Slate|access-date=October 4, 2017|language=en-US|issn=1091-2339}}</ref> that Nixon's drive to learn what the Democrats were planning in 1972 was based in part on his belief that the Democrats knew about a later bribe that his friend [[Bebe Rebozo]] had received from Hughes after Nixon took office.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2005/feb/28/hughes-bribe-of-nixon-alleged/|title=Hughes bribe of Nixon alleged|newspaper=[[Las Vegas Sun]]|location=Las Vegas, Nevada|date=February 28, 2005|access-date=August 13, 2018}}</ref>

In late 1971, Donald Nixon was collecting intelligence for his brother in preparation for the upcoming presidential election. One of his sources was [[John H. Meier]], a former business adviser of Hughes who had also worked with [[Democratic National Committee]] Chairman [[Larry O'Brien]].<ref>[https://www.archives.gov/research/investigations/watergate/index.html "Records of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force."] ''archives.gov.'' Retrieved: February 25, 2012.</ref>

Meier, in collaboration with former Vice President [[Hubert Humphrey]] and others, wanted to feed misinformation to the Nixon campaign. Meier told Donald that he was sure the Democrats would win the election because Larry O'Brien had a great deal of information on Richard Nixon's illicit dealings with Howard Hughes that had never been released;<ref>[https://www.archives.gov/research/investigations/watergate/hughes-investigation.html "Campaign Contributions Task Force #804 – Hughes/Rebozo Investigation."] ''archives.gov.'' Retrieved: February 25, 2012.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Hughes, Nixon and the C.I.A.|magazine=[[Playboy]]|publisher=[[Playboy Enterprises]]|location=Chicago, Illinois|date=September 1976}}</ref> O'Brien did not actually have any such information, but Meier wanted Nixon to think that he did. Donald told his brother that O'Brien was in possession of damaging information that could destroy his campaign.<ref>Bellett 1995, pp. 32, 36, 160.</ref> [[Terry Lenzner]], who was the chief investigator for the [[Senate Watergate Committee]], speculates that it was Nixon's desire to know what O'Brien knew about Nixon's dealings with Hughes that may have partially motivated the [[Watergate scandal|Watergate]] break-in.<ref>Stahl, Lesley. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050225084353/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/24/60minutes/main676414.shtml "Watergate: 'Aviator' Connection?, Lesley Stahl Talks To Watergate Investigator About Motive For Break-In."] ''CBS News''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref>

==Last years==
===Physical and mental decline===
[[File:1954 Chrysler New Yorker Howard Hughes rear.JPG|thumb|Hughes had this 1954 [[Chrysler New Yorker]] equipped with an aircraft-grade air filtration system that took up most of the trunk.]]

Hughes was widely considered eccentric<ref>{{cite web |first=Alex III|last=Taylor |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1997/10/13/232490/index.htm |title=Wacko, junkie – and a great businessman despite all his eccentricities, Howard Hughes left behind a $1 billion empire. A new book details the bitter battle over his estate |work=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] |location=New York City|date=October 13, 1997 |access-date=May 15, 2016 }}</ref> and suffered from severe [[obsessive-compulsive disorder]] (OCD).<ref>{{cite AV media |people=David Garonzik (Director), Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Donald L. Barlett (Actors) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xNxpkjTnXQ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020234055/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xNxpkjTnXQ| archive-date=October 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |title=The Affliction of Howard Hughes: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder |publisher=[[Miramax]] |location=Los Angeles, California |date=May 24, 2005 |access-date=August 13, 2018 |via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Nicholas |last=Barber |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20161205-was-howard-hughes-really-insane |title=Was this billionaire recluse truly mad? |work= BBC Culture |publisher= BBC |location= London |date=December 6, 2016 |access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref>

Dietrich wrote that Hughes ate the same dinner daily: a [[New York strip steak]] cooked medium rare, dinner salad, and peas; but only the smaller peas, pushing the larger ones aside. For breakfast, his eggs had to be cooked the way Lily, his family cook, made them. Hughes had a "[[Mysophobia|phobia about germs]]", and "his passion for secrecy became a mania."<ref name=Noah/>{{rp|58–62, 182–183}}

While directing ''[[The Outlaw]]'', Hughes became fixated on a small flaw in one of [[Jane Russell]]'s blouses, claiming that the fabric bunched up along a seam and gave the appearance of two nipples on each breast. He wrote a detailed memorandum to the crew on how to fix the problem. [[Richard Fleischer]], who directed ''[[His Kind of Woman]]'' with Hughes as executive producer, wrote at length in his autobiography about the difficulty of dealing with the tycoon. In his book ''Just Tell Me When to Cry'', Fleischer explained that Hughes was fixated on trivial details and was alternately indecisive and obstinate. He also revealed that Hughes' unpredictable [[mood swing]]s made him wonder if the film would ever be completed.

In 1957, Hughes told his aides that he wanted to screen some movies at a film studio near his home. He stayed in the studio's darkened screening room for more than four months, never leaving. He ate only chocolate bars and chicken and drank only milk and was surrounded by dozens of boxes of [[Kleenex]] that he continuously stacked and re-arranged.<ref>{{cite web|first=Karen|last=Harris|url=https://historydaily.org/howard-hughes-facts-stories-trivia-weird-stuff|title=Howard Hughes: Facts And Stories You Didn't Know (All The Weird Stuff)|website=History Daily|date=|accessdate=March 2, 2022}}</ref> He wrote detailed memos to his aides giving them explicit instructions neither to look at him nor speak to him unless spoken to. Throughout this period, Hughes sat fixated in his chair, often naked, continuously watching movies. When he finally emerged in the spring of 1958, his hygiene was terrible. He had neither bathed nor cut his hair and nails for weeks; this may have been due to [[allodynia]], which results in a pain response to stimuli that would normally not cause pain.<ref name=PPM.Tennant/>

After the screening room incident, Hughes moved into a bungalow at the [[Beverly Hills Hotel]] where he also rented rooms for his aides, his wife, and numerous girlfriends. He would sit naked in his bedroom with a pink hotel napkin placed over his genitals, watching movies. This may have been because Hughes found the touch of clothing painful due to allodynia. He may have watched movies to distract himself from his pain—a common practice among patients with intractable pain, especially those who do not receive adequate treatment.<ref name=PPM.Tennant/> In one year, he spent an estimated $11&nbsp;million at the hotel.

Hughes began purchasing restaurant chains and four-star hotels that had been founded within the state of Texas. This included, if for only a short period, many unknown franchises currently out of business. He placed ownership of the restaurants with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and all licenses were resold shortly after.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Feser |first=Katherine |date=April 4, 2022 |title=Howard Hughes Corp. buys stake in Jean-Georges Restaurants |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Howard-Hughes-Corp-buys-stake-in-Jean-Georges-17056523.php |access-date=June 6, 2023 |website=Houston Chronicle |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 8, 2022 |title=South Street Seaport owner buys stake in Jean-Georges restaurant empire |url=https://nypost.com/2022/08/08/south-street-seaport-owner-buys-stake-in-jean-georges-restaurant-empire/ |access-date=June 6, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>

He became obsessed with the 1968 film ''[[Ice Station Zebra]]'', and had it run on a continuous loop in his home. According to his aides, he watched it 150 times.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918526,00.html|title=Tycoons: The Secret Life of Howard Hughes|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|location=New York City|date=December 13, 1976|access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Dave|last=Kehr|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/11/movies/11dvd.html|title=New DVDs: 'Ice Station Zebra'|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 11, 2005|access-date=November 8, 2013}}</ref> Feeling guilty about the failure of his film ''[[The Conqueror (1956 film)|The Conqueror]]'', a commercial and critical flop, he bought every copy of the film for $12 million, watching the film on repeat. [[Paramount Pictures]] acquired the rights of the film in 1979, three years after his death.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/movie-toxic-killed-john-wayne-tragedy-conqueror/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/movie-toxic-killed-john-wayne-tragedy-conqueror/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The movie so toxic it killed John Wayne: the tragedy of The Conqueror|first=Chris|last=Bell|newspaper=The Telegraph |date=January 17, 2017|via=www.telegraph.co.uk}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Hughes insisted on using tissues to pick up objects to insulate himself from germs. He would also notice dust, stains, or other imperfections on people's clothes and demand that they take care of them. Once one of the most visible men in America, Hughes ultimately vanished from public view, although tabloids continued to follow rumors of his behavior and whereabouts. He was reported to be terminally ill, mentally unstable, or even dead.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lawrence |first=Patrick |title=Howard Hughes and His Mysterious Fake Death |work=EAA |url=https://www.eaa.org/eaa/news-and-publications/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/bits-and-pieces-newsletter/04-12-2017-howard-hughes-and-his-mysterious-fake-death}}</ref>

Injuries from numerous aircraft crashes caused Hughes to spend much of his later life in pain, and he eventually became addicted to [[codeine]], which he injected [[Intramuscular injection|intramuscularly]].<ref name=PPM.Tennant/> He had his hair cut and nails trimmed only once a year, likely due to the pain caused by the [[complex regional pain syndrome|RSD/CRPS]], which was caused by the plane crashes.<ref name=PPM.Tennant/> He also stored his urine in bottles.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lklw/date/2002-01-20/segment/00|title=Guests Discuss the Late Howard Hughes|work=CNN|date=January 20, 2002|access-date=May 5, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=William|last=Booth|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7810-2004Dec17.html|title=Leo and Howard|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 19, 2004|access-date=May 5, 2017}}</ref>

=== Later years in Las Vegas ===

The wealthy and aging Hughes, accompanied by his entourage of personal aides, began moving from one hotel to another, always taking up residence in the top floor penthouse. In the last ten years of his life, 1966 to 1976, Hughes lived in hotels in many cities—including [[Beverly Hills]], [[Boston]], [[Las Vegas]], [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]], [[Freeport, Bahamas|Freeport]]<ref name="Howard Hughes history">{{cite web |title=Business magnate and famed aviator Howard Hughes dies |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/howard-hughes-dies |website=History.com |date=November 16, 2009 |access-date=July 22, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> and [[Vancouver]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Aaron|last=Chapman|url=http://www.vancourier.com/issues04/123204/news/123204nn1.html|title=Man of mystery|work=[[Vancouver Courier]]|publisher=[[Glacier Media]]|location=Vancouver, British Columbia|date=December 15, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050124103855/http://www.vancourier.com/issues04/123204/news/123204nn1.html |archive-date=January 24, 2005}}</ref>

On November 24, 1966 (Thanksgiving Day),<ref name=lvrj1>{{cite news|first=Corey|last=Levitan|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/gritty-city/|title=Top 10 Scandals: Gritty City|work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]|publisher=News + Media Capital Group LLC|location=Las Vegas, Nevada|date=March 2, 2008|access-date=March 3, 2008}}</ref> Hughes arrived in Las Vegas by railroad car and moved into the [[Desert Inn]]. Because he refused to leave the hotel and to avoid further conflicts with the owners, Hughes bought the Desert Inn in early 1967. The hotel's eighth floor became the center of Hughes' empire, and the ninth-floor penthouse became his personal residence. Between 1966 and 1968, he bought several other hotel-casinos, including the [[Castaways (casino)|Castaways]], [[New Frontier Hotel and Casino|New Frontier]], [[the Landmark Hotel and Casino]], and the [[Sands Hotel|Sands]].<ref>{{cite news|first=K.J.|last=Evans|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/howard-hughes|title=Howard Hughes|work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]|publisher=News + Media Capital Group LLC|location=Las Vegas, Nevada|date=February 7, 1999}}</ref> Hughes was rumored to have bought the [[Silver Slipper (Las Vegas)|Silver Slipper]] casino to move its trademark neon silver slipper which was visible from his bedroom, but this is not credible.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Levitan |first1=Corey |title=VEGAS MYTHS RE-BUSTED: Howard Hughes Bought Silver Slipper Just to Dim its Sign |url=https://www.casino.org/news/vegas-myths-busted-howard-hughes-bought-silver-slipper-just-to-dim-its-sign/ |website=Casino.org |date=January 3, 2025 |access-date=23 January 2025}}</ref> After Hughes left the Desert Inn, hotel employees discovered that his drapes had not been opened during the time he lived there and had rotted through.<ref>{{cite news|first1=Megan|last1=Messerly|first2=J.D.|last2=Morris|title=A peek into the mind of Howard Hughes|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2015/dec/28/a-peek-into-the-mind-of-howard-hughes/|work=[[Las Vegas Sun]]|publisher=Greenspun Media Group|location=Las Vegas, Nevada|date=December 28, 2015|access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref>

Hughes wanted to change the image of Las Vegas to something more glamorous. He wrote in a memo to an aide, "I like to think of Las Vegas in terms of a well-dressed man in a dinner jacket and a beautifully jeweled and furred female getting out of an expensive car."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Goldstein |first1=Michael |title=Las Vegas At A Crossroads: Popular Destination Tries Re-Invention |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2018/02/16/las-vegas-at-a-crossroads-popular-destination-tries-re-invention/?sh=5452fee4786a |website=forbes.com |access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref> Hughes bought several local television stations (including [[KLAS-TV]]).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=K.J. |title=Howard Hughes |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/howard-hughes/ |website=reviewjournal.com |date=February 7, 1999 |publisher=Las Vegas Review-Journal, Inc. |access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref>

Eventually, the brain trauma from Hughes' previous accidents, the effects of [[neurosyphilis]] diagnosed in 1932<ref>Brown and Broeske 1996, p. 91</ref> and undiagnosed [[Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder|obsessive-compulsive disorder]]<ref>Brown and Broeske 1996, p. 183–185</ref> considerably affected his decision-making. A small panel, unofficially dubbed the "Mormon Mafia" for the many [[Latter-day Saint]]s on the committee, was led by [[Frank William Gay]] and originally served as Hughes' "secret police" headquartered at 7000 Romaine, Hollywood. Over the next two decades, however, this group oversaw and controlled considerable business holdings,<ref>Brown and Broeske 1996, p. 263</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918528,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930033905/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,918528,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 30, 2007|title=The Keepers of the King|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|location=New York City|date=December 13, 1976|access-date=January 5, 2008}}</ref> with the CIA anointing Gay while awarding a contract to the Hughes corporation to acquire sensitive information on a sunken Russian submarine.<ref>Brown and Broeske 1996, pp. 345–346</ref><ref>The term "Mormon Mafia" has also been used to describe the Mormon presence in the CIA and FBI. see {{cite book|author-last=Shupe|author-first=Anson|author-link=Anson D. Shupe|title=The Darker Side of Virtue: Corruption, Scandal, and the Mormon Empire|publisher=Prometheus Books|year=1991|pages=11–12}}</ref> In addition to supervising day-to-day business operations and Hughes' health, they also went to great pains to satisfy Hughes' every whim. For example, Hughes once became fond of [[Baskin-Robbins]]'s banana nut ice cream, so his aides sought to secure a bulk shipment for him, only to discover that Baskin-Robbins had discontinued the flavor. They put in a request for the smallest amount the company could provide for a special order, 350 gallons (1,300 L), and had it shipped from Los Angeles. A few days after the order arrived, Hughes announced he was tired of banana nut and wanted only French vanilla ice cream. The Desert Inn ended up distributing free banana nut ice cream to casino customers for a year.<ref>Brown and Broeske 1996, p. 341.</ref> In a 1996 interview, former Howard Hughes Chief of Nevada Operations [[Robert Maheu]] said, "There is a rumor that there is still some banana nut ice cream left in the freezer. It is most likely true."{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}

As an owner of several major Las Vegas businesses, Hughes wielded much political and economic influence in Nevada and elsewhere. During the 1960s and early 1970s, he disapproved of underground nuclear testing at the [[Nevada Test Site]]. Hughes was concerned about the risk from residual [[Ionizing radiation|nuclear radiation]] and attempted to halt the tests. When the tests finally went through despite Hughes' efforts, the detonations were powerful enough that the entire hotel in which he was living trembled from the shock waves.<ref>{{cite news|first=Ralph|last=Vartabedian|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hometown-nuke28-2009jun28,0,1389110.story|title=Howard Hughes and the atomic bomb in middle of Nevada|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=June 28, 2009|access-date=July 25, 2009}}</ref> In two separate, last-ditch maneuvers, Hughes instructed his representatives to offer bribes of $1 million to both Presidents [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] and Richard Nixon.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Carlson|title=Obituary: Robert Maheu|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/20/usa|work=[[The Guardian]]|location=London, England|date=August 20, 2008|access-date=July 27, 2016}}</ref>

In 1970, [[Jean Peters]] filed for divorce. The two had not lived together for many years. Peters requested a lifetime [[alimony]] payment of $70,000 a year, adjusted for inflation, and waived all claims to Hughes' estate. Hughes offered her a settlement of over a million dollars, but she declined it. Hughes did not insist on a [[gag order|confidentiality agreement]] from Peters as a condition of the divorce. Aides reported that Hughes never spoke ill of her. She refused to discuss her life with Hughes and declined several lucrative offers from publishers and biographers. Peters would state only that she had not seen Hughes for several years before their divorce and had dealt with him only by phone.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

Hughes was living in the Intercontinental Hotel near [[Lake Managua]] in Nicaragua, seeking privacy and security,<ref>{{cite book|first=Jay|last=Mallin|url=http://www.ineter.gob.ni/geofisica/sis/managua72/mallin/great04.htm|title=The Great Managua Earthquake|publisher=SamHar Press|location=Charlotte, New York|date=1974|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070220073628/http://www.ineter.gob.ni/geofisica/sis/managua72/mallin/great01.html|archive-date=February 20, 2007|access-date=April 23, 2007}}</ref> when a [[1972 Nicaragua earthquake|magnitude 6.5 earthquake]] damaged [[Managua]] in December 1972. As a precaution, Hughes moved to a large tent facing the hotel; after a few days, he moved to the Nicaraguan National Palace and stayed there as a guest of [[Anastasio Somoza Debayle]] before leaving for Florida on a private jet the following day.<ref>[http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/e-h/hughes1.html "Howard Hughes: A Chronology."] ''Channel 4''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.</ref> He subsequently moved into the penthouse at the Xanadu Princess Resort on [[Grand Bahama Island]], which he had recently purchased. He lived almost exclusively in the penthouse of the [[Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina]] for the last four years of his life.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} Hughes spent a total of $300&nbsp;million on his many properties in Las Vegas.<ref name="lvrj1" />

====Autobiography hoax====
In 1972, author [[Clifford Irving]] caused a media sensation when he claimed he had co-written an authorized Hughes autobiography. Irving claimed he and Hughes had corresponded through the United States mail and offered as proof handwritten notes allegedly sent by Hughes. Publisher McGraw-Hill, Inc. was duped into believing the manuscript was authentic. Hughes was so reclusive that he did not immediately publicly refute Irving's statement, leading many to believe that Irving's book was genuine. However, before the book's publication, Hughes finally denounced Irving in a teleconference attended by reporters Hughes knew personally: James Bacon of the Hearst papers, Marvin Miles of the ''Los Angeles Times'', Vernon Scott of UPI, Roy Neal of NBC News, Gene Handsaker of AP, Wayne Thomas of the ''Chicago Tribune'', and Gladwin Hill of the ''New York Times''.<ref name=":3">Bartlett and Steele 2011, pp. 469–471.</ref>

The entire hoax finally unraveled.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/clifford-irving-dead-howard-hughes-prankster-was-87-1069918|title=Clifford Irving, Howard Hughes Prankster, Dies at 87|newspaper=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=December 21, 2017|access-date=June 25, 2018}}</ref> The [[United States Postal Inspection Service]] (USPIS) got a subpoena to force Irving to turn over samples of his handwriting. The USPIS investigation led to Irving's indictment and subsequent conviction for using the postal service to commit fraud. He was incarcerated for 17 months.<ref>{{cite web |title=Clifford Irving {{!}} National Postal Museum |url=https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/behind-the-badge-case-histories-scams-and-schemes-financial-frauds/clifford-irving |website=postalmuseum.si.edu |access-date=December 11, 2021}}</ref> In 1974, the [[Orson Welles]] film ''[[F for Fake]]'' included a section on the Hughes autobiography hoax, leaving a question open as to whether it was actually Hughes who took part in the teleconference (since so few people had actually heard or seen him in recent years). In 1977, ''The Hoax'' by Clifford Irving was published in the United Kingdom, telling his story of these events. The 2006 film ''[[The Hoax]]'', starring [[Richard Gere]], is also based on these events.{{sfn|Irving|1999|p=309}}

===Death===
[[File:HowardHughesGravestone.jpg|thumb|right|Hughes' gravestone]]
[[File:Hughes.Family.Gravesite.jpg|thumb|right|Hughes family grave site at [[Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas)|Glenwood Cemetery]]]]
Hughes is reported to have died on April 5, 1976, at 1:27&nbsp;p.m. on board an aircraft, [[Learjet]] 24B N855W, owned by Robert Graf and piloted by Roger Sutton and Jeff Abrams.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=di04thgoPGMC|title=Hughesworld: The Strange Life and Death of an American Legend|first=Arelo C|last=Sederberg|date=2013|publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-1475969221|via=Google Books}}</ref> He was en route from his penthouse at the [[Hotel Princess Mundo Imperial|Acapulco Princess Hotel]] (now the Princess Mundo Imperial) in Mexico to [[the Methodist Hospital]] in Houston.<ref>{{cite web |title=Howard Hughes |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Howard-Hughes |website=Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref>

<!-- After receiving a call, his senior counsel, [[Frank P. Morse]], ordered his staff to get his body on a plane and return him to the United States. It was common that foreign countries would hold a corpse as ransom so that an estate could not be settled. Morse ordered the pilots to announce Hughes's death once they entered U.S. [[airspace]].-->His reclusiveness and possibly his drug use made him practically unrecognizable. His hair, beard, fingernails, and toenails were long—his tall {{convert|6|ft|4|in|cm|abbr=on}} frame now weighed barely {{convert|90|lb|kg}}, and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] had to use [[fingerprint]]s to conclusively identify the body.<ref>Hack 2002, pp. 16–18.</ref> Howard Hughes' alias, John T. Conover, was used when his body arrived at a morgue in Houston on the day of his death.<ref>[http://www.hulu.com/watch/71033/inside-howard-hughes-revealed#s-p1-so-i0 "Howard Hughes Revealed".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907015735/http://www.hulu.com/watch/71033/inside-howard-hughes-revealed#s-p1-so-i0|date=September 7, 2009}} ''hulu.com'', via National Geographic Channel, ''Inside'' (series), Season 7, episode 2. Retrieved: September 24, 2009.</ref>

An [[autopsy]] recorded [[renal failure|kidney failure]] as the cause of death.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Dennis|last=Breo|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20074229,00.html|title=Howard Hughes' Doctor Gives a Chilling Description of His Strange Patient's Final Hours|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|location=New York City|date=July 30, 1979|access-date=January 18, 2015|archive-date=May 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518172046/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20074229,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In an eighteen-month study investigating Hughes' drug abuse for the estate, it was found that "someone administered a deadly injection of the painkiller to this comatose man&nbsp;... obviously needlessly and almost certainly fatal".<ref>Brown and Broeske 1996, p. 457</ref> He suffered from [[malnutrition]] and was covered in [[Pressure ulcer|bedsores]]. While his kidneys were damaged, his other internal organs, including his brain, which had no visible damage or illnesses, were deemed perfectly healthy.<ref name=PPM.Tennant/> [[X-ray]]s revealed five broken-off [[hypodermic needle]]s in the flesh of his arms.<ref name=PPM.Tennant/> To inject codeine into his muscles, Hughes had used glass syringes with metal needles that easily became detached.<ref name=PPM.Tennant/>

Hughes is buried next to his parents at [[Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas)|Glenwood Cemetery]] in Houston.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.eaa.org/eaa/news-and-publications/eaa-news-and-aviation-news/bits-and-pieces-newsletter/04-12-2017-howard-hughes-and-his-mysterious-fake-death |title=Howard Hughes and His Mysterious Fake Death |last=Lawrence |first=Patrick |date=April 2017 |publisher=[[EAA AirVenture Oshkosh]] |access-date=April 28, 2021}}</ref>

===Estate===
Approximately three weeks after Hughes' death, a [[Holographic will|handwritten will]] was found on the desk of an official of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] in [[Salt Lake City]], Utah. The so-called "Mormon Will" gave $1.56 billion to various charitable organizations (including $625&nbsp;million to the [[Howard Hughes Medical Institute]]), nearly $470&nbsp;million to the upper management in Hughes' companies and to his aides, $156&nbsp;million to first cousin William Lummis, and $156&nbsp;million split equally between his two ex-wives Ella Rice and [[Jean Peters]].

A further $156&nbsp;million was endowed to a gas station owner, [[Melvin Dummar]], who told reporters that in 1967, he found a disheveled and dirty man lying along [[U.S. Route 95]], just {{convert|150|mi|km}} north of [[Las Vegas]]. The man asked for a ride to Vegas. Dropping him off at the [[Sands Hotel]], Dummar said the man told him that he was Hughes. Dummar later claimed that days after Hughes' death a "mysterious man" appeared at his gas station, leaving an envelope containing the will on his desk. Unsure if the will was genuine and unsure of what to do, Dummar left the will at the LDS Church office. In 1978, a Nevada court ruled the Mormon Will a forgery and officially declared that Hughes had died [[intestate]] (without a valid will). Dummar's story was later adapted into [[Jonathan Demme]]'s film ''[[Melvin and Howard]]'' in 1980.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/obituaries/melvin-dummar-dead.html|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/obituaries/melvin-dummar-dead.html |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Melvin Dummar, 74, Who Claimed Howard Hughes Left Him Millions, Dies|last=Seelye|first=Katharine Q.|date=December 12, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 8, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Hughes' $2.5&nbsp;billion estate was eventually split in 1983 among 22 cousins, including William Lummis, who serves as a trustee of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruled that [[Hughes Aircraft]] was owned by the [[Howard Hughes Medical Institute]], which sold it to [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] in 1985 for $5.2&nbsp;billion. The court rejected suits by the states of California and Texas that claimed they were owed [[inheritance tax]].

In 1984, Hughes' estate paid an undisclosed amount to [[Terry Moore (actress)|Terry Moore]], who claimed she and Hughes had secretly married on a yacht in [[international waters]] off Mexico in 1949 and never divorced. Moore never produced proof of a marriage, but her book, ''The Beauty and the Billionaire,'' became a bestseller.

==Awards==
* [[Harmon Trophy]] (1936 and 1938)
* [[Collier Trophy]] (1938)
* [[Congressional Gold Medal]] (1939)
* [[Octave Chanute Award]] (1940)
* [[National Aviation Hall of Fame]] (1973)
* [[International Air & Space Hall of Fame]] (1987)<ref>Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor. ''These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame''. Donning Co. Publishers, 2006. {{ISBN|978-1-57864-397-4}}.</ref>
* [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]] (2018)<ref name=MSHoF>[http://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/howard-hughes.html Howard Hughes] at the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]]</ref>

==Archive==
The moving image collection of Howard Hughes is held at the [[Academy Film Archive]]. The collection consists of over 200 items including 35mm and 16mm elements of feature films, documentaries, and television programs made or accumulated by Hughes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Howard Hughes Collection|url=http://www.oscars.org/film-archive/collections/howard-hughes-collection|website=Academy Film Archive|date=August 20, 2015 }}</ref>

==Filmography==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Director
! Producer
! Writer
|-
| 1927
| ''[[Two Arabian Knights]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
| 1930
| ''[[Hell's Angels (film)|Hell's Angels]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}} 
|-
| 1931
| ''[[The Front Page (1931 film)|The Front Page]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|rowspan=2| 1932
| ''[[Sky Devils]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
| ''[[Scarface (1932 film)|Scarface]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
|rowspan=2| 1943
| ''[[The Outlaw (1943 film)|The Outlaw]]'' 
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
| ''[[Behind the Rising Sun (film)|Behind the Rising Sun]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
| 1947
| ''[[The Sin of Harold Diddlebock]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes|Uncredited}}
|{{no}}
|-
| 1950
| ''[[Vendetta (1950 film)|Vendetta]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
| 1951
| ''[[His Kind of Woman]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes|Executive}}
|{{yes|Uncredited}}
|-
| 1952
| ''[[Macao (film)|Macao]]''
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
| 1955 
| ''[[Son of Sinbad]]''
|{{no}}
|{{yes|Executive}}
|{{no}}
|-
| 1955 
| ''[[Underwater!]]''
| {{no}}
| {{yes}}
| {{no}}
|-
| 1956
| ''[[The Conqueror (1956 film)|The Conqueror]]'' 
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|-
| 1957
| ''[[Jet Pilot (film)|Jet Pilot]]''
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|}

==In popular culture==
<!-- Please READ [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content#Popular culture]] and [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Style guide#Popular culture]] before adding any "Popular culture" items. Please do not add the many minor instances or appearances. This section is only for major cultural appearances where the movie plays a MAJOR part in the storyline, or has an "especially notable" role in what is listed. A verifiable source proving the appearance's notability may be required. Random cruft, including ALL Ace Combat, Battlefield, and Metal Gear Solid appearances, and ALL anime/fiction look-a-like speculation, WILL BE removed. If your edit has been reverted or challenged, please discuss it on the talk page FIRST. A verifiable source proving the appearance's notability may be required. If a consensus is reached to include your item, a regular editor of this page will add it back. Thank you for your cooperation.--><!-- ===============({{NoMoreCruft}})=============== -->

===Film===
* In [[The Carpetbaggers (film)|''The Carpetbaggers'']] (1964), the main character Jonas Cord (played by [[George Peppard]]) is loosely based on Howard Hughes.
* The [[James Bond]] film [[Diamonds Are Forever (film)|''Diamonds Are Forever'']] (1971) features a tall, Texan, reclusive billionaire character named Willard Whyte (played by [[Jimmy Dean]]) who operates his business empire from the penthouse of a Las Vegas hotel. Although he appears only late in the film, his habitual seclusion and his control of a major aerospace contracting firm are key elements of the film's plot. Several sequences were actually filmed on location at [[The Landmark Hotel and Casino]], which was owned by Hughes at the time.
* ''[[The Amazing Howard Hughes]]'' is a 1977 American made-for-television biographical film which aired as a [[mini-series]] on the [[CBS]] network, made a year after Hughes' death and based on Noah Dietrich's book ''Howard: The Amazing Mr. Hughes''. [[Tommy Lee Jones]] plays Hughes.
* ''[[Melvin and Howard]]'' (1980), directed by [[Jonathan Demme]] and starring [[Jason Robards]] as Howard Hughes and [[Paul Le Mat]] as [[Melvin Dummar]]. The film won [[Academy Awards]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] ([[Bo Goldman]]) and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] ([[Mary Steenburgen]]). The film focuses on Melvin Dummar's claims of meeting Hughes in the Nevada desert and subsequent estate battles over his inclusion in Hughes' will. Critic [[Pauline Kael]] called the film "an almost flawless act of sympathetic imagination".<ref>Shannon, Jeff. [http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/movies.php?id=952 "Melvin and Howard (1980) – Movie Preview."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927212545/http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/movies.php?id=952 |date=September 27, 2007 }} ''RopeofSilicon,'' 2008. Retrieved: August 5, 2008.</ref>
*The film ''[[Creepshow]]'' from 1982 has a segment titled "They're Creeping Up on You!". The reclusive, paranoid, tycoon Upson Pratt, played by [[E. G. Marshall]] appears to be loosely based upon Hughes. {{original research inline|date=September 2024}}
*In ''[[Tucker: The Man and His Dream]]'', (1988), Hughes (played by [[Dean Stockwell]]) figures in the plot by telling Preston Tucker to source steel and engines for Tucker's automobiles from a helicopter manufacturer in New York. Scene occurs in a hangar with the Hercules. 
* In [[The Rocketeer (film)|''The Rocketeer'']], a 1991 American [[Period piece|period]] [[superhero film]] from [[Walt Disney Pictures]], the title character attracts the attention of Howard Hughes (played by [[Terry O'Quinn]]) and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]], who are hunting for a missing [[jet pack]], as well as [[Nazism|Nazi]] operatives. 
* "Howard Hughes Documentary", broadcast in 1992 as an episode of the ''Time Machine'' documentary series, was introduced by [[Peter Graves]], later released by A&E Home Video.<ref>"Howard Hughes Documentary." ''Amazon.'' Retrieved: August 22, 2011.</ref>
* In ''[[Conspiracy Theory (film)|Conspiracy Theory]]'' (1997), the character Jerry Fletcher (played by [[Mel Gibson]]) mentions one of his theories to a street vendor by saying, "Did you know that the whole [[Vietnam War]] was fought over a bet that Howard Hughes lost to Aristotle Onassis?" referring to his (Fletcher's) thoughts on the politics of that conflict.
* In [[The Aviator (2004 film)|''The Aviator'']] (2004), directed by [[Martin Scorsese]], Hughes is portrayed by [[Leonardo DiCaprio]]. The film focuses on Hughes' personal life from the making of [[Hell's Angels (film)|''Hell's Angels'']] through his successful flight of the Hercules or [[Hughes H-4 Hercules|''Spruce Goose'']]. Critically [[The Aviator (2004 film)#Reception|acclaimed]], it was nominated for 11 [[Academy Awards]], winning five for [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]; [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]; [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]; [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Art Direction]]; and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Actress in a Supporting Role]] for [[Cate Blanchett]]. 
* ''Howard Hughes: The Real Aviator'' documentary was broadcast in 2004 and went on to win the Grand Festival Award for Best Documentary at the 2004 Berkeley Video & Film Festival.<ref>"Howard Hughes: The Real Aviator." {{ISBN|9780738930756}}.</ref>
* In the 2005 animated film ''[[Robots (2005 film)|Robots]]'', the character Mr Bigweld (voiced by [[Mel Brooks]]), a reclusive inventor and owner of Bigweld Industries, is loosely based on Howard Hughes.
* ''The American Aviator: The Howard Hughes Story'' was broadcast in 2006 on the [[Biography Channel]]. It was later released to home media as a DVD with a copy of the full-length film ''[[The Outlaw]]'' starring [[Jane Russell]].<ref>[http://www.visionfilms.net/catalog/documentaries/biographies/american_aviator.php ''The American Aviator: The Howard Hughes Story.''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003224436/http://www.visionfilms.net/catalog/documentaries/biographies/american_aviator.php |date=October 3, 2011 }} Vision Films. Retrieved: August 22, 2011.</ref>
* ''[[Captain America: The First Avenger]]'' (2011), the character Howard Stark (played by [[Dominic Cooper]]), a wealthy inventor of futuristic technology, clearly embodying Hughes' persona and enthusiasm. His subsequent appearances in the TV series ''[[Agent Carter (TV series)|Agent Carter]]'' further this persona, as well as depicting him as sharing the real Hughes' reputation as a womanizer. [[Stan Lee]] has noted that Howard's son Tony Stark ([[Iron Man]]), who shared several of these traits himself, was based on Hughes.<ref name="IMDVD">{{cite video|title=The Invincible Iron Man|medium=Ultimate 2-Disc Edition ''[[Iron Man (2008 film)|Iron Man]]'' DVD|publisher=[[Paramount Pictures]]|date=2008}}</ref>
* ''[[Rules Don't Apply]]'' (2016), written and directed by [[Warren Beatty]], features Beatty as Hughes from 1958 through 1964.
* In the ''[[Dark Knight Trilogy]]'', director [[Christopher Nolan]]'s characterization of [[Bruce Wayne (Dark Knight trilogy)|Bruce Wayne]] is heavily inspired by Hughes' perceived lifestyle – from a playboy in ''[[Batman Begins]]'' to a recluse in ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]''. Nolan is reported to have integrated his original material intended for a [[development hell|shelved]] Hughes biopic into the trilogy.<ref>{{cite news|first=Kevin|last=Jagernauth|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2012/12/editor-lee-smith-says-bruce-wayne-in-the-dark-knight-rises-inspired-by-nolans-aborted-howard-hughes-movie-103237/|title=Editor Lee Smith Says Bruce Wayne In 'The Dark Knight Rises' Inspired By Nolan's Aborted Howard Hughes Movie|work=[[Indiewire]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=December 6, 2012|access-date=December 6, 2012}}</ref>
* In ''[[The Hoax]]'' (2006) - in what would cause a fantastic media frenzy - Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Hoax (2006) - Plot - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462338/plotsummary/ |access-date=May 27, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Games===
* The character of [[Andrew Ryan (BioShock)|Andrew Ryan]] in the 2007 video game ''[[BioShock]]'' is loosely based on Hughes. Ryan is a billionaire industrialist in post-World War II America who, seeking to avoid governments, religions, and other "parasitic" influences, ordered the secret construction of an underwater city, [[Rapture (BioShock)|Rapture]]. Years later, when Ryan's vision for Rapture falls into dystopia, he hides himself away and uses armies of mutated humans, "Splicers", to defend himself and fight against those trying to take over his city, including the player-character.<ref>{{cite web|title=Exclusive: Ken Levine on the making of Bioshock|url=http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2007/08/20/exclusive-ken-levine-on-the-making-of-bioshock/|website=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]|date=August 20, 2007 |access-date=March 20, 2013|last1=Gillen |first1=Kieron }}</ref>
* In ''[[L.A. Noire]]'', Hughes makes an appearance presenting his Hercules H-4 aircraft in the game opening scene. The H-4 is later a central plot piece of DLC Arson Case, "Nicholson Electroplating".<ref>[http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/16711/new-la-noire-screens-from-the-nicholson-electroplating-arson-cas.html "New L.A. Noire Screens from the "Nichsolson Electroplating" Arson Case."] ''Rockstargames.com,'' June 9, 2011. Retrieved: January 5, 2012.</ref>
* In ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', the character of Robert Edwin House, a wealthy business magnate and entrepreneur who owns the New Vegas strip, is based on Howard Hughes and closely resembles him in appearance, personality and background. A portrait of Mr. House can also be found in the game which strongly resembles a portrait of Howard Hughes standing in front of a Boeing Army Pursuit Plane.<ref>[https://lensebender.org/2016/01/15/fallout-howard-hughes-and-mr-house/ "Fallout – Howard Hughes And Mr. House"] ''lensebender.org,'' January 15, 2016. Retrieved: April 6, 2017.</ref>

===Literature===
* [[Stan Lee]] repeatedly stated he created the Marvel Comics character [[Iron Man]]'s civilian persona, Tony Stark, drawing inspiration from Howard Hughes' colorful lifestyle and personality. Additionally, the first name of Stark's father is Howard.<ref name="Maskarticle">{{cite magazine|date=January 2008|title= Mask of the Iron Man|magazine= [[Game Informer]]|issue= 177|page= 81}}</ref>
* Hughes is a supporting character in all three parts of [[James Ellroy]]'s [[Underworld USA Trilogy]], employing several of the protagonists as [[private investigator]]s, [[bagman|bagmen]], and consultants in his attempt to assume control of Las Vegas. Referred to behind his back as "[[Count Dracula]]" (due to his reclusiveness and rumored obsession with [[blood transfusion]]s from [[Mormons|Mormon]] donors), Hughes is portrayed as a spoiled, [[racism|racist]], [[opioid]]-addicted [[wiktionary:megalomaniac|megalomaniac]] whose grandiose plans for Las Vegas are undermined by the manipulations of the [[Chicago Outfit]].
* In the 1981 novel ''[[Dream Park]]'' by [[Larry Niven]] and [[Steven Barnes]], the weapon "which might have defeated the Japs if it hadn't come so late" is revealed to be the [[Spruce Goose]], which had been magically hijacked on its test flight by evil Foré sorcerers in New Guinea. Hughes' skeleton is found at the controls, identified by Hughes' trademark fedora and cloth-and-leather jacket.

===Music===

* [[John Hartford]]'s song "Howard Hughes Blues" from his 1972 album [[Morning Bugle]] is a philosophical reflection on fame and fortune in the public eye: "But success is just a mess of overdues / For old Howard Hughes and all of his blues."
* The 1973 song "Broadway melody of 1974" by Genesis referenced Howard Hughes: "There's Howard Hughes in blue suede shoes / Smiling at the majorettes, smoking Winston cigarettes".<ref>{{Citation |title=Genesis - Fly on a Windshield/Broadway Melody of 1974 | date=March 10, 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9X2QtzCvBQ |language=en |access-date=August 21, 2022}}</ref>
* The 1974 song "[[Workin' at the Car Wash Blues]]" by [[Jim Croce]] compares the main protagonist of the song to Howard Hughes in one of the lyrics.
* The 1974 song "[[The Wall Street Shuffle]]" by English rock band [[10cc]] directly references Hughes and his ways of life in the last verse.
* The name of the musical group [[The Hues Corporation]] who had the 1974 hit song "[[Rock the Boat (The Hues Corporation song)|Rock the Boat]]" was selected since it was a heterophonic spelling of Hughes as in Howard Hughes.
* The song "Me and Howard Hughes" by Irish band [[The Boomtown Rats]] on their 1978 album ''[[A Tonic for the Troops]]'' is about the title subject.
* The song "Closet Chronicles" by American rock band [[Kansas (band)|Kansas]] on their 1977 album ''[[Point of Know Return (album)|Point of Know Return]]'' is a Howard Hughes allegory.
* The song "Ain't No Fun (Waiting 'Round To Be a Millionaire)" by [[AC/DC]] on their 1976 album "[[Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap]]" singer [[Bon Scott]] referenced Howard Hughes toward the end of the song: "Hey, hello Howard, how you doin', my next door neighbour? Oh, yea... Get your fuckin' jumbo jet off my airport"
* The 1983 song "Casanova Brown" by [[Teena Marie]] includes the lyric "He's had more girls than Howard Hughes had money".
* Hughes' name is mentioned in the title and the lyrics of the 2002 song "Bargain Basement Howard Hughes" by [[Jerry Cantrell]].
*The 2008 song "Howard" by American pop-punk band Bayside is written about Hughes.
* The 2012 song "Nancy From Now On" by American songwriter [[Father John Misty]] likens Hughes' destructive and erratic tendencies to the singer's own.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://genius.com/Father-john-misty-nancy-from-now-on-lyrics |title=Nancy From Now On |website=genius.com |access-date=November 12, 2021 }}{{unreliable source?|date=November 2021}}</ref>
* The 1996 album "[[Thanks for the Ether]]" by [[Rasputina (band)|Rasputina]] features a song titled "Howard Hughes" about Hughes' eccentricities and isolation in his later life.

===Television===
* In Episode 14 of ''[[Lupin III Part 2]]'', the owner of a cursed ruby is named Howard Heath. Heath is based on Hughes, who had only recently died when the episode aired.
* In the 1973 episode of the [[The Partridge Family|Partridge Family]], [[John Astin]] plays a reclusive millionaire in "Diary of a Mad Millionaire"<ref>{{Citation |title="The Partridge Family" Diary of a Mad Millionaire (TV Episode 1973) - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0670150/ |access-date=May 4, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> who was readily recognized as a reference to Howard Hughes who was famous for being a recluse at that time.
* In ''[[List of The Greatest American Hero episodes|The Greatest American Hero]]'' Season 2 episode 3, "Don't Mess Around with Jim", Ralph and Bill are kidnapped by a reclusive tycoon, owner of Beck Air airplane company, who fakes his own death, and seems to know more about the suit than they do. He then blackmails them into retrieving his will to prevent it from being misused by the president of his company.
* In ''[[Benson (TV series)|Benson]]'' Season 6, Episode 2, "The Inheritance," Benson learns he has inherited the assets of Hugh Howard, a pastiche of Howard Hughes and [[Hugh Hefner]], including his ''[[Playboy]]''-like magazine, which becomes embarrassing for him, the Governor, and the Governor's staff.
*In ''[[The Simpsons]]'' Season 5 episode "[[$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)]]", Mr. Burns resembles Hughes in his recluse state. Various nods to his life appear in the episode, ranging from casino ownership and penthouse office to the "[[Spruce Goose]]" being renamed "Spruce Moose" as well as a lack of hygiene and being a germaphobe.
* In ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]'' episode, "The Clampett-Hewes Empire", Jed Clampett, while in Hooterville, decides to merge his interests with a man Mr. Drysdale believes is Howard Hughes, the famous reclusive billionaire. Eventually it turns out, to Mr. Drysdale's chagrin, "Howard Hughes" is no billionaire; he is, in fact, nothing but a plain old farmer and severely henpecked husband with the homophonic name "Howard ''Hewes''" (H-E-W-E-S).
* In the ''[[Invader Zim]]'' episode, "Germs", the alien Zim becomes paranoid after discovering that Earth is covered in germs. Referencing Howard Hughes, he isolates himself in his home and dons tissue boxes on his feet.
* In the ''[[Superjail!]]'' episode "The Superjail! Six", The Warden repeatedly watches a film called ''Ice Station Jailpup'' which parodies Hughes' obsession with the film ''Ice Station Zebra''
* In the ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' episode "De Plane! De Plane!" ,  Phineas and Ferb are watching an informational TV show, where it tells about Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, which is the largest plane ever built. Phineas and Ferb set out to build a bigger plane than the wooden Spruce Goose.
* In the ''[[Dark Skies]]'' episode Dreamland, John and Kim travel to Las Vegas where they are tasked by Howard Hughes to investigate a possible Hive infiltration of ''[[Area 51]]''. Hughes is portrayed as extremely [[Mysophobia|mysophobic]] and his encounter at the end of the episode with a Hive (extraterrestrial) ganglion is presented as the reason for his final seclusion and mental decline.

==See also==
* [[Analgesic nephropathy]]
* [[List of richest Americans in history]]
* [[List of aviation pioneers]]
* [[List of entrepreneurs]]
* [[Phenacetin]]
* [[Howard Stark]] Fictional character with similarities

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=N}}

===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* [[Al Barkow|Barkow, Al]]. ''Gettin' to the Dance Floor: An Oral History of American Golf''. Short Hills, New Jersey: Burford Books, 1986. {{ISBN|1-58080-043-2}}.
* Barton, Charles. ''Howard Hughes and his Flying Boat''. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, 1982. Republished in 1998, Vienna, VA: Charles Barton, Inc. {{ISBN|0-9663175-0-5}}.
* Barlett, Donald L. and James B. Steele. ''Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes''. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1979. {{ISBN|0-393-07513-3}}, republished in 2004 as ''Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness''.
* Bellett, Gerald. ''[[Age of Secrets]]: The Conspiracy that Toppled Richard Nixon and the Hidden Death of Howard Hughes''. Stillwater, Minnesota: Voyageur Press, 1995. {{ISBN|0-921842-42-2}}.
* Blackman, Tony ''Tony Blackman Test Pilot'' Grub Street, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-906502-28-7}}
* Brown, Peter Harry and Pat H. Broeske. ''Howard Hughes: The Untold Story''. New York: Penguin Books, 1996. {{ISBN|0-525-93785-4}}.
* Burleson, Clyde W. ''The Jennifer Project''. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-89096-764-4}}.
* Dietrich, Noah and Bob Thomas. ''Howard: The Amazing Mr. Hughes''. New York: Fawcett Publications, 1972. {{ISBN|978-0-04-490256-0}}.
* Drosnin, Michael. ''Citizen Hughes: In his Own Words, How Howard Hughes Tried to Buy America''. Portland, Oregon: Broadway Books, 2004. {{ISBN|0-7679-1934-3}}.
* {{cite book | last=Francillon | first=René J. | title=McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 | publisher=Naval Institute Press | publication-place=Annapolis, Md. | date=1990 | isbn=0-87021-428-4 | oclc=19920963}}
* Hack, Richard. ''Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos and Letters: The Definitive Biography of the First American Billionaire''. Beverly Hills, California: New Millennium Press, 2002. {{ISBN|1-893224-64-3}}.
* Herman, Arthur. ''Freedom's Forge: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II''. New York: Random House, 2012. {{ISBN|978-1-4000-6964-4}}.
* Higham, Charles. ''Howard Hughes: The Secret Life'', 1993.
* Porter, Donald J., ''Howard's Whirlybirds: Howard Hughes' Amazing Pioneering Helicopter Exploits''. Fonthill Media, 2015. {{ISBN|978-1781550892}}
* {{cite book | last=Irving | first=Clifford | title=The hoax | publisher=E-reads | publication-place=[United States] | date=1999 | isbn=978-0-7592-3868-8 | oclc=123545068}}
* Klepper, Michael and Michael Gunther. ''The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates – A Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Present.'' [[Secaucus, New Jersey]]: Carol Publishing Group, 1996. {{ISBN|978-0-8065-1800-8}}
* Marrett, George J. ''Howard Hughes: Aviator''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2004. {{ISBN|1-59114-510-4}}.
* Kistler, Ron. ''I Caught Flies for Howard Hughes''. Chicago: Playboy Press, 1976. {{ISBN|0-87223-447-9}}.
* Lasky, Betty. ''RKO: The Biggest Little Major of Them All, 2d ed'' . Santa Monica, California: Roundtable, 1989. {{ISBN|0-915677-41-5}}.
* Maheu, Robert and Richard Hack. ''Next to Hughes: Behind the Power and Tragic Downfall of Howard Hughes by his Closest Adviser''. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. {{ISBN|0-06-016505-7}}.
* Moore, Terry. ''The Beauty and the Billionaire''. New York: Pocket Books, 1984. {{ISBN|0-671-50080-5}}.
* Moore, Terry and Jerry Rivers. ''The Passions of Howard Hughes''. Los Angeles: General Publishing Group, 1996. {{ISBN|1-881649-88-1}}.
* Parker, Dana T. ''Building Victory: Aircraft Manufacturing in the Los Angeles Area in World War II,'' Cypress, California: Dana T. Parker Books, 2013. {{ISBN|978-0-98979-060-4}}.
* Phelan, James. ''Howard Hughes: The Hidden Years''. New York, Random House, 1976. {{ISBN|0-394-41042-4}}.
* Real, Jack. ''The Asylum of Howard Hughes''. Philadelphia: Xlibris Corporation, 2003. {{ISBN|1-4134-0875-3}}.
* Thomas, Bob. ''Liberace: The True Story''. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1987. {{ISBN|0-312-01469-4}}.
* Tierney, Gene with Mickey Herskowitz. ''Self-Portrait''. New York: Peter Wyden, 1979. {{ISBN|0-883261-52-9}}.
* Weaver, Tom. ''Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Flashbacks: Conversations with 24 Actors, Writers, Producers and Directors from the Golden Age.'' New York: McFarland & Company, 2004. {{ISBN|0-7864-2070-7}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|en-Howard_Hughes.ogg|date=July 12, 2010}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|0400652}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090205063115/http://projectjennifer.at/ AZORIAN The Raising of the K-129 / 2009 – 2 Part TV Documentary / Michael White Films Vienna]
* [http://digital.library.unlv.edu/hughes/ Welcome Home Howard: Collection of photographs kept by UNLV] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502021734/http://digital.library.unlv.edu/hughes/ |date=May 2, 2012 }}
* [http://www.aircharter.co.uk/howard-hughes-history-remarkable-achievements/ A history of the remarkable achievements of Howard Hughes]
* [https://archive.org/details/HowardHughes FBI file on Howard Hughes]
* [https://www.boeing.com/history/pioneers/howard-r-hughes.page Exclutive Biography of Howard R. Hughes Jr.]
* [http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/hughes-howard-robard/ Biography in the National Aviation Hall of Fame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103170557/http://www.nationalaviation.org/our-enshrinees/hughes-howard-robard/ |date=January 3, 2020 }}

{{Howard Hughes}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Howard}}
[[Category:Howard Hughes| ]]
[[Category:1905 births]]
[[Category:1976 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:20th-century American engineers]]
[[Category:20th-century American inventors]]
[[Category:20th-century aviation]]
[[Category:20th-century Methodists]]
[[Category:Amateur radio people]]
[[Category:American aerospace businesspeople]]
[[Category:American aerospace designers]]
[[Category:American aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:American airline chief executives]]
[[Category:American anti-communists]]
[[Category:American aviation record holders]]
[[Category:American billionaires]]
[[Category:American businesspeople in the oil industry]]
[[Category:American businesspeople in real estate]]
[[Category:American casino industry businesspeople]]
[[Category:American chairpersons of corporations]]
[[Category:American chief executives of manufacturing companies]]
[[Category:American construction businesspeople]]
[[Category:American expatriates in the Bahamas]]
[[Category:American film studio executives]]
[[Category:American financiers]]
[[Category:American health care businesspeople]]
[[Category:American hoteliers]]
[[Category:American inventors]]
[[Category:American investors]]
[[Category:American mass media owners]]
[[Category:American media executives]]
[[Category:American mining businesspeople]]
[[Category:American nonprofit executives]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of French descent]]
[[Category:American people of Welsh descent]]
[[Category:American philanthropists]]
[[Category:American political fundraisers]]
[[Category:American restaurateurs]]
[[Category:American technology chief executives]]
[[Category:American technology company founders]]
[[Category:American telecommunications industry businesspeople]]
[[Category:American United Methodists]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Aviation inventors]]
[[Category:American aviation pioneers]]
[[Category:Aviators from California]]
[[Category:Aviators from Texas]]
[[Category:Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas)]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Houston]]
[[Category:California Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:Collier Trophy recipients]]
[[Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Deaths from kidney failure in Texas]]
[[Category:Engineers from California]]
[[Category:Film directors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Film directors from Texas]]
[[Category:Film producers from California]]
[[Category:History of Clark County, Nevada]]
[[Category:History of Houston]]
[[Category:People with hypochondriasis]]
[[Category:People from Ventura County, California]]
[[Category:People with obsessive–compulsive disorder]]
[[Category:Rice University alumni]]
[[Category:Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents]]
[[Category:Texas Republicans]]
[[Category:Trans World Airlines people]]
[[Category:Watergate scandal]]
[[Category:Hughes family (United States)]]