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in today's dollars). at the time of his death (approximately 1/1190th of U.S. GNP)〔Klepper and Gunther 1996, p. xiii.〕 | signature = Howard Hughes signature.svg | module = }} Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business tycoon, entrepreneur, investor, aviator, aerospace engineer, inventor, filmmaker and philanthropist. During his lifetime, he was known as the wealthiest self-made person in the world. As a maverick film tycoon, Hughes gained prominence in Hollywood from the late 1920s, making big-budget and often controversial films like ''The Racket'' (1928), ''Hell's Angels'' (1930), ''Scarface'' (1932), and ''The Outlaw'' (1943). Subsequently, he formed the Hughes Aircraft Company and hired numerous engineers and designers. He spent the rest of the 1930s setting multiple world air speed records, built the Hughes H-1 Racer and H-4 "Hercules" (better known to history as the "Spruce Goose" aircraft), and acquired and expanded Trans World Airlines (TWA), which was later acquired by and merged with American Airlines.〔http://history1900s.about.com/od/people/p/hughes.htm〕 Hughes also acquired Air West and renamed it Hughes Airwest. This airline was eventually acquired by and merged into Republic Airlines (1979–1986). Hughes was included in the ''Flying magazine'' list of the 51 Heroes of Aviation, ranking at 25.〔("51 Heroes of Aviation." ) ''Flying magazine''. Retrieved: December 27, 2014.〕 He is remembered for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle in later life, caused in part by a worsening obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and chronic pain. His legacy is maintained through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. ==Early years== Hughes' birthplace is recorded as either Humble or Houston, Texas. The date is also uncertain, though Hughes claimed that his birthday was Christmas Eve. A 1941 affidavit birth certificate of Hughes, signed by his aunt Annette Gano Lummis and Estelle Boughton Sharp, states that he was born on December 24, 1905, in Harris County, Texas. However, his baptismal record of October 7, 1906, in the parish register of St. John's Episcopal Church in Keokuk, Iowa, has his birth listed as September 24, 1905, without reference to the place of birth. His parents were Howard R. Hughes, Sr., a successful inventor and businessman from Missouri of English descent,〔Barlett and Steele 2004, p. 15.〕 and Allene Stone Gano. His father had patented the two-cone roller bit, which allowed rotary 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, and founded the Hughes Tool Company in 1909. Hughes's uncle was the famed novelist, screenwriter, and film director Rupert Hughes. Hughes demonstrated interest in science and technology at a young age. In particular, he had great engineering aptitude, building Houston's first "wireless" radio transmitter at age 11.〔("Howard Hughes." ) ''MSN Encarta online,'' October 21, 2009. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.〕 He went on to be one of the first licensed ham radio operators in Houston, having the assigned callsign W5CY (originally 5CY).〔http://users.tellurian.com/gjurrens/famous_hams.html 〕 At 12, Hughes was photographed in the local newspaper, identified as being the first boy in Houston to have a "motorized" bicycle, which he had built from parts from his father's steam engine.〔("Howard Hughes." ) ''U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission,'' 2003. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.〕 He was an indifferent student, with a liking for mathematics, flying, and mechanics. He took his first flying lesson at 14, and later attended math and aeronautical engineering courses at Caltech.〔〔 Allene Hughes 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 creation of a 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 inherited 75 percent of the family fortune.〔("Howard Hughes." ) ''about.com''. Retrieved: January 5, 2008.〕 On his 19th birthday, Hughes was declared an emancipated minor, enabling him to take full control of his life.〔("Golf's Bizarre Billionaire." ) ''golfonline.com''. Retrieved: September 4, 2007.〕 Hughes was an excellent and enthusiastic golfer from a young age, often scoring near par figures, and held a handicap of three during his twenties. He played frequently with top players, including Gene Sarazen. Hughes rarely played competitively, and gradually gave up his interest in the sport to pursue other interests.〔Barkow 1986, p. 13.〕 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. They moved to Los Angeles, where he hoped to make a name for himself as a filmmaker. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Howard Hughes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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