Boeing Co. history

The largest and one of the most successful American manufacturers of civilian and military aircraft. The company was founded by William E. Boeing (1881–1956) in 1916, originally to make seaplanes. Boeing had left Yale in 1903 and made his fortune in the timber industry in the Pacific Northwest. He became interested in airplanes in 1908 and spent the next several years learning about them while taking flying lessons. In 1915, he teamed with George Westervelt to build a biplane capable of landing on water and nicknamed it the B & W. They began producing the plane, and the Boeing manufacturing company was born.

During World War I, the company achieved its first notable success. In 1917, Boeing knew that the U.S. Navy needed training airplanes, and he sold the navy a seaplane called the Model C. The seaplane performed well, and the navy ordered 50 more—the company’s first production order. By 1918, 337 people were on the Boeing payroll, and the company’s future was more secure.

In 1919, Boeing delivered the first international air mail from Canada to the United States. The post office later rewarded Boeing with the first airmail route, from Chicago to San Francisco. He also founded Boeing Air Transport, the predecessor to United Airlines. In all cases, Boeing used his own planes in his commercial enterprises, using the revenues to aid in further aircraft development. He sold his interest in the company in 1934 to pursue other ventures, but the company retained his name.

Boeing planes became the standard in aviation. A Boeing plane was used to drop the atomic bombs on Japan, and the company’s lunar orbiter and Moon Rover were used in the first Moon landing. In 1952, the company tested the B-52 prototype that was to become a standard for the military and a year later the B-47E, a jet bomber. The original presidential plane, Air Force One, was a Boeing 707, and newer models are still used by the White House. The 707 became the world’s most popular long-distance jet in the mid-1950s after Pan American World Airways ordered 20 for its fleet. It revolutionized air travel, allowing many more people to fly than ever before. Although William Boeing died in 1956, the company was faithful to many of his original business strategies. It has diversified into other lines, including the building of irrigation projects and desalinization plants, and providing computer services. In addition, the company continued to produce planes and other hardware for the space program and also purchased rival McDonnell Douglas as well as Rockwell International and Hughes Electronics, a communications company.

During the post–World War II years, Boeing began developing missile systems for the military. Building upon research done in the 1940s to develop a guided missile system, whereby the missile is guided by an analog computer, the company developed intercontinental ballistic missiles and also developed the ground systems needed to house and deploy them. It won the contract for the first Minuteman missile program from the Defense Department in the early 1960s.

During the 20th century, Boeing was the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer. Its most serious competition in the 1990s came from the European consortium Airbus Industries. The consolidation of the domestic aircraft manufacturing industry was due mainly to Boeing’s influence and success because the company maintained a tight hold on the market with reliable aircraft and design innovations.

Boeing Co. history

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