Today we"re looking back to a time when an eccentric billionaire"s dream of reaching new heights was still a novel idea. It was 75 years ago today that Howard Hughes" "flying boat," dubbed the "Spruce Goose," made its one and only flight. Officially named the Hughes H-4 Hercules, the press persisted in calling it the "Spruce Goose" even though it was constructed almost entirely of birch wood. The plane was commissioned in 1942 by American industrialist Henry Kaiser, who supplied ships to the US during World War II. Kaiser recruited Hughes—the film producer turned pilot, engineer, and business magnate—to build a flying cargo ship that could avoid German submarines while transporting troops and war supplies across the Atlantic. The contract called for three of the planes to be built within two years. Hughes was still working on the design when the war ended—in the end, he delivered only the one in our photo, two years after V-E Day.
75th anniversary of the Spruce Goose
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
World Childrens Day
-
International Museum Day
-
Aura River in Turku, Finland
-
Provence blooms with lavender at Sénanque Abbey
-
Sedona, Arizona
-
Lake Pehoé, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
-
A sea of swirling stone
-
A Festivus for the rest of us
-
Honoring the first American woman in space
-
Let s run em up!
-
National Mushroom Month
-
World Theater Day
-
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy
-
A valley view at 9,000 feet
-
I m here! Take a look at me!
-
An octagonal architectural treasure
-
Humming along
-
Keep your hands inside the ride at all times…
-
Hispanic Heritage Month
-
Bonifacio on the island of Corsica, France
-
Mitsumata blossoms
-
Taking the scenic route
-
A bridge comes full circle
-
It s Teacher Appreciation Week
-
Who left the tub running?
-
A water loch-ed castle
-
We stand with Ukraine
-
World Rainforest Day
-
High above the reef
-
On the Route of the Waterfalls