Website: Howard Hughes Entrepreneur Site
The story of Howard Hughes has transcended into legend since his death in 1976. The biography I recommend, Howard Hughes, the Untold Story, written in 1997, is a GREAT read if you want to learn the most detailed information about this incredible man.
The author, Peter H. Brown, is sympathetic to Hughes without falling into maudlinism, and has taken the time to find as many supporting documents to aid in telling Hughes' story. The book focuses quite a bit on the romantic affairs he engaged in - and believe me there were many! The biography also details his quick rise to fame and notoriety at age 18 upon the death of his father, an oil man in Texas.
Upon receiving his inheiritance, Hughes bought RKO Studios, and used the studio to meet and date young starlets. Among the many women, he dated Jean Harlow, who starred in Hughes' first truly successful RKO production, "Hell's Angels", which made her a star and put Hughes on the Hollywood map. He also dated Kathryn Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Ida Lupino, Yvonne Shubert, Ginger Rogers and Terry Moore.
He made several movies, including "Scarface", "The Front Page", and "The Outlaw", which starred Jane Russell - one of the few women who rebuffed Hughe's advances. But by the early 1930s he grew restless and sought out other things to excite him. He found one in aviation.
He started with the creation of Hughes Aircraft in 1932, a company which went on to make millions. He quickly became obsessed with all aspects of flying, and his famed short flight of the Spruce Goose in 1947 broke all expectations of what large planes could do - even though it was only flew one time. But his thrill of flight also resulted in numerous plane crashes, a couple of which were almost fatal. But he was able to set new standards in the industry (and also broke a few records), and took aviation to the next level.
But perhaps Howard Hughes is most famous for his phobias and quirks that eventually led to his reclusivity and paranoia. He had a strong fear of germs, most likely taught to him during his childhood by his strict and domineering mother. When he learned he had contracted syphilis, he ordered all his clothing to be collected and summarily burned and replaced with new "germ-free" clothes. As he grew older, he began taking less care with his appearance - sometimes going for months without cutting his hair (which in the conservative 1940s was unheard of).
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