Howard Hughes: the life of a billionaire, film producer, aviator and psycho (7 photos)

He built a huge financial empire, and then “pulled up” and lost everything.





Howard was born in 1905. His father owned business for the production of machine tools and equipment for drilling, mother supervised numerous servants in their family mansion.

Since birth, Guard was constantly ill, and the overly loving his mother protected the frail boy from peers - she was still afraid that he will catch some infection from them. It is a phobia of bacteria and contact with other people formed in the guy already then, but in full force earned only in old age.

Little Hughes had no friends, so he read a lot and fond of science. He especially liked physics and everything connected with technique. And for fun, the boy was engaged in photography. howard grew up quick-witted and his hands grew from where they should - by the age of 12 he was already I assembled a bike with a motor myself.



Young Howard Hughes

By that time, he was already strong and crawled out from under his mother's skirt, so that they decided to send him to the Fessenden school, later transferred to the educational establishment Thatcher. But there he focused only on studying technical disciplines, and also became interested in golf.

When Howard was 17 years old, his mother died. And after a couple years, his father also died. So the young man became the heir to a fortune of 2 million dollars. At present, this is a fortune of $ 600-700 million.





Howard received an inheritance and began to think about what to do further. First of all, he set his sights on cinema - he worked in Hollywood uncle, so this direction was worth a try. And Howard buys film studio.

His first film was not released - Hughes was not satisfied picture quality. The second project was already played in cinemas, and the third The film won an Oscar for directing. A year later, indomitable millionaire shoots a film about the pilots of the First World War, he liked this work so much, that he received a flying license and founded the company "Hughes Aircraft" - production of military aircraft.



Aviator, rich man and favorite of women

In 1935, the first ultra-high-speed aircraft was released and with Hughes signed a contract with the US Department of Defense. For him he did D-2 interceptors and heavy bombers. Later, already in civil contracts, produced passenger airliners. Father's business drilling equipment Howard also did not forget and he flourished. By 1939 Hughes' fortune exceeded $60 million.



In 1943, Howard personally tested a new aircraft and got into plane crash. He survived, but was treated for a long time. After a couple of years, he sat down again steering wheel and crashed again. This time the recovery was even more prolonged and Howard became addicted to drugs. Mental deviations went already then, but this did not prevent Hughes in 1946 from becoming rich man with a capital of $ 500 million.

In subsequent years, Hughes' behavior became increasingly strange, he often retires, indulges in substances and does not want anyone see. He eventually sells shares in his companies and becomes the first dollar billionaire in history. Yes, they say they were the first oilmen, but only unofficially. And Howard became the first officially recognized rich man and billionaire.



In the 1960s, Hughes bought almost half of the casinos and hotels in Las Vegas. At that time he himself was locked up in his mansion and everyone Managed business over the phone. He fully manifested mental abnormalities: he was afraid of germs and forbade everyone to visit him approach. I did not communicate with anyone “live”, only through the door or phone. Overgrown, grew a beard, began to rarely wash and began to resemble bum.

When I decided that there were too many germs in large cities, together with a handful of faithful servants went to the Bahamas. There he has health deteriorated, but he did not allow doctors to approach him and only leaned on substances.

And when he became very ill and Howard was nevertheless taken to hospital, it was too late. With a height of 187 cm, he weighed 42 kilograms, all overgrown with gray hairs and terribly smelled. He soon died at the age of 70 years.



Photo taken shortlyto death

And his fortune was divided among themselves by numerous hangers-on, there were more than a thousand people. And from the great there is no trace of the business empire left.