The Odd End to the Amazing Howard Hughes
April 5, 2010

Time Magazine April 1976

Time Magazine April 1976

The Dashing Hughes

The Dashing Hughes

On This Date in History: If you saw the movie The Aviator starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, you may recall a scene in which Hughes is testifying before a Senate committee and the charge is brought that Hughes regularly used funds to entertain influential people in the military industrial complex to help win contracts. Hughes acknowledges the charges in a matter-of-fact manner, saying that is just the way the aviation business is done and that everyone spends money on key people, not as bribes, but as a way to influence their decisions. I’ve never read the transcripts of the actual hearings so I don’t know if that part of the script was just written to indicate the true situation. But, on August 3, 1947, the New York Times broke the story, though its much more interesting.

nytimeselliottrooseveltIt is more interesting because the NYTimes goes to great lengths to describe how Hughes is charged with spending over $5000 on the son of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Elliott Roosevelt, who was the guy who could make or break military contracts with individual companies. In the story, it’s not Hughes who fesses up, but instead one of his associates who, just a easily as Hughes was portrayed in the movie, admits that they did and do regularly throw parties and entertain people like Fred Roosevelt. In fact he said Elliott was just “one of 1000” that he entertained. The Times goes on to say that there was more…that Hughes Aircraft provided women to government officials! What is intersting is that no one really gets mad at the government folks accepting the gratuities. I mean, Howard Hughes could invite FDR’s son all he wants but no one forces him to go. But, that never comes up.

The Giant Plane Made of Wood Flew Nov 3, 1947

Spruce Goose Dwarfed Any Other Aircraft for Decades

Howard Hughes defied all probability. He had contracted with the U.S. Government to produce a flying boat that could ferry 750 combat troops or two 30 ton tanks across the Atlantic during World War II. Officially called the H-4 Hercules, the plane fell seemingly hopelessly behind construction schedule and well over budget. The war ended before delivery and the government cancelled the order.  But Hughes was convinced his vision could be transformed to civilian use and revolutionize the airline and air cargo industry. He completed the plane with his own money. Aluminum and other metals were short during the war so he made the plane out of wood.  Not long after his famous Senate hearings in early November 1947, Hughes flew the flying boat near Long Beach in California, confounding critics who said such a huge machine could never fly. It never flew again as it was obsolete before it ever flew and after that Hughes was rarely seen in public for the rest of his life.

The Dashing Aviator Howard Hughes

To this day, it still holds the record for aircraft with the broadest wingspan at 319 feet….more than a football field. It’s also the tallest plane ever built at over 79 feet, or about a 7 story building. It is the worlds largest flying boat and, of course, the record that will probably never be equaled; the largest plane ever built from wood. Many think of the thing as a lark but it is another in a long list of examples of Hughes genius for vision. Hughes exploits proved it was possible for enormous aircraft to fly and thus did indeed revolutionize flight design. Even though by weight and length other modern planes have been deemed the largest planes ever built, the “Spruce Goose,” as it was called by Hughes detractors, stands alone was one of the most daring an innovative steps in the history of flight.

Hughes at the Helm of the Hercules

Hughes achieved many great things and his effort shows what can happen when determination, courage and self-confidence come together with the means to render moot the opinions of the experts.  Hughes’ Spruce Goose exhibition (video) was perhaps the crowning achievement in a remarkable life. We see him as the richest man in the world of his time but in reality, he was an innovator in aircraft and satellite technology. Many of our conveniences we take for granted are directly linked to Howard Hughes. Many of our missile defense systems had their genesis from Howard Hughes.  He set air speed records, furthered aviation development and helped advance satellite technology.  Though not as important, in my view, he was also somewhat of a pioneer in filmaking. 

Hughes Testifying

Hughes Testifying

Now, Hughes died on this date in 1976 amidst mysterious circumstances. He was said to have become exceedingly excentric and developed phobias to about everything, including germs. Some speculate that he was the money man behind Watergate and that Richard Nixon never would have been forced to resign had not Hughes been secretly funding White House operations. Seems, in the early 1970’s, the then richest man in the world was found in England flying around naked, which was apparently not unusual. Late in his secret life, he surrounded himself by Mormons and doctors, yet in death the only way he could be identified was through fingerprints. He was a genius on many levels, but his later life was clouded with his erratic behaviour. There are those who say that Hughes was allowed to die by his handlers who were more interested in making money for themselves than caring for Hughes, who was reportedly around 90 lbs, with long stringy hair, a beard to his waist and very long fingernails when he died on a plane over the Gulf of Mexico enroute to Houston from Acapulco. There are those who say he really died in Acapulco and the story was simply a fabrication to add to his legacy. Then, of course, there were the years sifting through all of the wills that appeared following his death.

Jackson

Another Hughes?

Now, does that sound familiar? Who else can you think of that gained great fame and fortune as a youth? Who else was dubbed a genius for the innovation that he brought to his field? Who else became extremely eccentric and mysterious later in his life? Who else died of mysterious circumstances leaving a vast estate? How about Michael Jackson. And now, like Hughes, there are charges, criminal investigation and speculation that his death was not as it seemed.  But, in the case of Hughes, when it all was settled, Hughes fortune went to fund the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. It is a non-profit organization that is one of the largest philanthropies in the United States having spent $730 million in research and dispersed over $100 million in grants in 2009.

SPC slight risk area just West of Louisville due to expectation of system coming through Ohio Valley late Wednesday night

Weather Bottom Line:  T’storms possible with a warm front passing on Monday afternoon should be relatively benign but they may be elevated such that a few hail reports won’t be out of the question.  Tuesday look for exceedingly warm conditions with highs in the mid 80’s.  I told you that I was suspicious of this next cold front for Wednesday.  The SPC has been pooh-poohing it but now has come around, though the timing of us may make it a moot point.  It’s getting delayed a bit…the cold front that is.  So, by the time the storms get here it should be late Wednesday night and without the sun, they will lose a key ingredient. However, I wouldn’t be completely sold that it’s a dud.  If it speeds up a bit and we’re talking about before midnight, then I would think that we’d have enough latent heat with a warm and relatively humid Wednesday afternoon to perhaps allow for any strong storms to the west or southwest to hang together sufficiently to cause some racket.  Possible? Yeah…but the data says thats not probable.  Nevertheless, its not unheard of for the computers to be off on their story by  a few hours so its worth watching for.  After that, we should get temperatures back to seasonal levels..but not cold. I think I’m going to go ahead and plant my sunflowers.  I’m not too concerned about freezes anymore.  That’s like me washing my car.  That’s a sure sign of rain and if I plant my sunflowers…that will probably result in one more overnight freeze.  So, if it happens, it’s my fault.

Michael Jackson and Howard Hughes: Two sides of same coin?
August 3, 2009

Time Magazine April 1976

Time Magazine April 1976

The Dashing Hughes

The Dashing Hughes

On This Date in History:   If you saw the movie The Aviator starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, you may recall a scene in which Hughes is testifying before a Senate committee and the charge is brought that Hughes regularly used funds to entertain influential people in the military industrial complex to help win contracts.  Hughes acknowledges the charges in a matter-of-fact manner, saying that is just the way the aviation business is done and that everyone spends money on key people, not as bribes, but as a way to influence their decisions.  I’ve never read the transcripts of the actual hearings so I don’t know if that part of the script was just written to indicate the true situation.  But, on this date in 1947, the New York Times broke the story, though its much more interesting.

nytimeselliottrooseveltIt is more interesting because the NYTimes goes to great lengths to describe how Hughes is charged with spending over $5000 on the son of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Elliott Roosevelt,  who was the guy who could make or break military contracts with individual companies.  In the story, it’s not Hughes who fesses up, but instead one of his associates who, just a easily as Hughes was portrayed in the movie, admits that they did and do regularly throw parties and entertain people like Fred Roosevelt.  In fact he said Elliott was just “one of  1000” that he entertained.   The Times goes on to say that there was more…that Hughes Aircraft provided women to government officials!  What is intersting is that no one really gets mad at the government folks accepting the gratuities.  I mean, Howard Hughes could invite FDR’s son all he wants but no one forces him to go.  But, that never comes up.

Hughes Testifying

Hughes Testifying

Now, Hughes died on April 5, 1976 amidst mysterious circumstances.  He was said to have become exceedingly excentric and developed phobias to about everything, including germs.  Some speculate that he was the money man behind Watergate and that Richard Nixon never would have been forced to resign had not Hughes been secretly funding White House operations.  Seems, in the early 1970’s, the then richest man in the world was found in England flying around naked, which was apparently not unusual.  Late in his secret  life, he surrounded himself by Mormons and doctors, yet in death the only way he could be identified was through fingerprints.  He was a genius on many levels, but his later life was clouded with his erratic behaviour.    There are those who say that Hughes was allowed to die by his handlers who were more interested in making money for themselves than caring for Hughes, who was reportedly around 90 lbs, with long stringy hair, a beard to his waist and very long fingernails when he died on a plane over the Gulf of Mexico enroute to Houston from Acapulco.  There are those who say he really died in Acapulco and the story was simply a fabrication to add to his legacy.  Then, of course, there were the years sifting through all of the wills that appeared following his death.

Jackson

Another Hughes?

Now, does that sound familiar?  Who else can you think of that gained great fame and fortune as a youth?   Who else was dubbed a genius for the innovation that he brought to his field?  Who else became extremely eccentric and mysterious later in his life?  Who else died of mysterious circumstances leaving a vast estate?  How about Michael Jackson.  And now, like Hughes, there are charges and speculation that his death was not as it seemed.  

As Eccentric as Hughes?

As Eccentric as Hughes?

 I don’t think that Jackson ran around naked all the time, but there was the weird stuff like his ever changing appearance, dangling his kid off a balcony and having young boys have sleep overs.  And, his sister LaToya says that Michael was murdered by those who wanted his money.  I drew this comparison on my own but I found that his father, Joe Jackson, also compared Michael’s final days to those of Hughes.  So, I suspect we will be hearing more of this comparison in the media in coming days.  Ad to that the fact that Joe Jackson  also says that he was killed by people who plan to cash in on his death, and we have the makings of a story that will live on for years.   Jackson friend, activist and comedian Dick Gregory went on a 40 day hunger strike until the “truth” about Jackson’s death comes out.  Hmmm…wonder what happens if the “truth” doesn’t come out for 60 or 90 days?  Or, what if it comes out in 30 days?  Does Gregory go hungry for another 10 days just for good measure?  The real truth at this point is that no one knows.  It does seem odd that a man like Hughes was allowed to fall into such ill health, mental illness and drug addiction.  And, it does seem odd that a man like Jackson was allowed access to the drugs that he was apparently addicted to.  You know who else comes to mind with a similar scenario? Elvis, except Elvis is not generally thought of as a genius. 

Joe Jackson: Michael's Death Comparable to Hughes'

Joe Jackson: Michael's Death Comparable to Hughes'

Maybe its just that the hangers on of both Hughes and Jackson were too afraid by their boss’s fame and fortune to say anything.  Maybe they were yes men and did whatever the boss said.  Or, maybe it is like some think….that those that surrounded the two men were complicit in each death because they stood to gain financially.  I dunno.  But, I do wonder sometimes if the fame and fortune that many seek is really worth the effort.   I wonder, as these individuals rose in notoriety and their celebrity no longer allowed them time alone or time out of the public eye, if maybe at times each of them did not secretly wish that they could go back to being “normal.”  Hughes was famously out of sight for years to escape the spotlight and Jackson had been heard recently saying he wished everyone would leave him alone.  If we could ask them now, I wonder if they would say the  life they lived was worth a life being cut short.  I mean, is it really so good to be the king?

SPC Convective Outlook Tue 8AM to Wed 8AM

SPC Convective Outlook Tue 8AM to Wed 8AM

Weather Bottom Line:  I would suggest keeping a close eye on Tuesday evening.  The reason being is that the NAM explodes a huge shortwave to our west and then brings it through the flow ahead of a cold front.  The GFS does the same thing except that it does not initialize the short as strongly as the NAM but brings it through in better shape than the NAM which has it winding down somewhat.  Nevertheless, should that scenario materialize, there will be a pretty fair chance at strong storms late in the day Tuesday or Tuesday evening.  Other models show the feature but none of them are as significant as the NAM or even the GFS.  We’ll have to see how it shakes out.  Today will be warm in the mid to upper 80’s but it should be dry.  Normally, I’d think that we will be too dry to get anything overly significant with the short wave but if it comes as strong as advertised with the NAM, then it will tend to find the moisture it needs.

DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK 
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1256 AM CDT MON AUG 03 2009
  
   VALID 041200Z – 051200Z
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS THE MIDDLE MS/OH RIVER
   VALLEYS…
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL HIGH
   PLAINS…
  
   …SYNOPSIS…
   TUESDAY WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY A FAIRLY PROGRESSIVE UPPER TROUGH
   OVER EASTERN CANADA…WITH MULTIPLE LOW AMPLITUDE DISTURBANCES
   EMBEDDED WITHIN NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES
   TO THE APPALACHIANS. PERSISTENT UPPER LOW OFF THE NORTHERN CA COAST
   WILL ONLY MOVE SLOWLY EASTWARD…WITH AN UPPER RIDGE OTHERWISE
   PERSISTING OVER THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN ROCKIES.
  
   …LOWER MO/MIDDLE MS VALLEYS TO OH/TN VALLEYS…
   COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY SPREAD SOUTH-SOUTHEASTWARD
   OVER THE MIDWEST/OH VALLEY ON TUESDAY…AS BRUNT OF UPPER TROUGH
   PIVOTS EAST-NORTHEASTWARD OVER ONTARIO/QUEBEC AND THE ADJACENT GREAT
   LAKES REGION. IT APPEARS THAT SCATTERED TSTMS /PERHAPS SOME STRONG/
   WILL BE ONGOING ACROSS THE MIDDLE MS/LOWER OH VALLEYS TUESDAY
   MORNING. AIDED BY A POTENTIAL MID LEVEL IMPULSE EMBEDDED WITHIN
   NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT…THE REMNANTS OF THIS ACTIVITY AND/OR
   PERIPHERAL STRONG/SEVERE DEVELOPMENT SHOULD OCCUR EASTWARD ACROSS
   THE OH VALLEY/TN VALLEY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AMIDST A WESTERLY LOW
   LEVEL MOISTURE/INSTABILITY FEED.
  
   FARTHER NORTH/WEST ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE MIDWEST/LOWER MO
   VALLEY…THE DETAILS OF THE SEVERE THREAT ARE DIFFICULT TO PORTEND
   IN ADVANCE LARGELY OWING TO UNCERTAINTIES REGARDING EARLY DAY
   CONVECTION…BUT AT LEAST A CONDITIONAL CATEGORICAL SLIGHT RISK
   APPEARS WARRANTED. PRESUMING A RELATIVELY
   UNPERTURBED/NON-CONVECTIVELY OVERTURNED AIRMASS…ADDITIONAL
   STRONG/SEVERE DEVELOPMENT WOULD ALSO BE POSSIBLE FARTHER NORTH IN
   VICINITY OF THE ROUGHLY WEST-EAST SURFACE FRONT…ALTHOUGH A BOUT OF
   POTENTIAL LARGE SCALE SUBSIDENCE IN THE WAKE OF THE EARLY DAY MID
   LEVEL IMPULSE AGAIN COMPLICATES THE DETAILS OF DIURNAL
   REDEVELOPMENT.
  
   WITH THE NOCTURNAL REDEVELOPMENT OF A MODEST WESTERLY LOW LEVEL JET
   ACROSS THE LOWER MO VALLEY…STRONG/SEVERE DEVELOPMENT COULD BECOME
   MORE LIKELY BY EVENING AND/OR CONTRIBUTE TO ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG
   STORMS ACROSS THE LOWER MO/MIDDLE MS VALLEYS TUESDAY NIGHT.
   OVERALL…DAMAGING WINDS/SEVERE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS
   ACROSS THE REGION…AND ULTIMATELY SOMEWHAT HIGHER CALIBER SEVERE
   PROBABILITIES COULD LATER BE WARRANTED.
  
   …NORTH CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS…
   EARLY DAY REINFORCING FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASING
   MOIST UPSLOPE TRAJECTORIES WITHIN THE POST-FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT
   ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS ON TUESDAY. UPPER HEIGHTS MAY
   GRADUALLY RISE DIURNALLY ACROSS THE REGION WITH LIMITED BACKGROUND
   FORCING FOR ASCENT…HOWEVER BY LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING…TSTM
   DEVELOPMENT WILL BECOME MORE PROBABLE GIVEN COMBINATION OF A WEAKLY
   CAPPED/MOIST AIRMASS…LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE/HEATING OVER THE HIGHER
   TERRAIN…AND POTENTIALLY ONE OR MORE MID LEVEL DISTURBANCES
   CRESTING THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES UPPER RIDGE DURING THE EVENING. VEERED
   WIND PROFILES THROUGH THE LOW TO MID TROPOSPHERE AND 40-45 KT OF
   EFFECTIVE BULK SHEAR WILL SUPPORT BOTH SUPERCELLS AND WELL ORGANIZED
   MULTICELLS CAPABLE OF SEVERE HAIL/DAMAGING WINDS AND PERHAPS A
   TORNADO…MAINLY ACROSS PORTIONS OF EASTERN WY/SOUTHWEST SD/WESTERN
   NEB TUESDAY LATE AFTERNOON/NIGHT.
  
   …KS/FAR NORTHERN OK…
   CONVERGENCE/STRONG HEATING IN VICINITY OF SURFACE LOW/TRIPLE POINT
   MAY CONTRIBUTE TO ISOLATED STRONG/SEVERE TSTM DEVELOPMENT TUESDAY
   AFTERNOON ACROSS KS INTO FAR NORTHERN OK. LIMITED FORCING ON THE
   LARGE SCALE MAY LIMIT THE COVERAGE OF TSTMS…BUT STEEP LAPSE RATE
   ENVIRONMENT/AMPLE INSTABILITY MAY YIELD A FEW BOUTS OF SEVERE
   HAIL/WIND GUSTS THROUGH SUNSET.
  
   …SOUTHWEST/CENTRAL MT AND ADJACENT ID…
   THE COMBINATION OF THE STALLING SURFACE FRONT AND DIFFERENTIAL
   HEATING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN…ALONG WITH A RELATIVELY MOIST
   AIRMASS AND MODERATELY STRONG WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT…MAY PROVE
   SUFFICIENT FOR STORMS CAPABLE OF ISOLATED SEVERE HAIL/WIND TUESDAY
   AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING.
  
   …ORE…
   UPPER HEIGHTS WILL LIKELY FALL OVER WESTERN/CENTRAL ORE ON TUESDAY
   AS PERSISTENT UPPER LOW MIGRATES SLOWLY EASTWARD TOWARD THE NORTHERN
   CA COAST. WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN THE OVERALL PATTERN…A
   MOIST/UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND MODERATE SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL AGAIN
   FAVOR THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING WINDS/HAIL WITH THE STRONGEST
   STORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING.
  
   ..GUYER.. 08/03/2009