For over a century, Boeing has pioneered aviation breakthroughs that have connected the globe. Its airliners made transoceanic travel commonplace; its space rockets launched humans to the Moon. Boeing isn‘t just an industry titan – from biplanes to stealth fighters to spaceships, its products have transformed world history.
Join me as we chart Boeing‘s rise from a pre-WWI startup to its modern manufacturing empire employing over 150,000 workers. We‘ll see how visionary leaders, wartime production feats, boundary-pushing designs, key mergers, and technology innovations at many turns cemented Boeing‘s reign. But also Boeing stumbles – controversies around monopolistic tactics, deadly crashes, and espionage show even giants have an Achilles heel.
Fasten your seat belts as we track the bumpy, stratospheric ascent of Boeing over the past century!
The Adventurous Lumberman: Boeing‘s 1916 Origins
It all began with a wealthy lumber businessman named William Boeing, who first witnessed early 20th century biplanes soaring and became entranced. Immediately enrolling in flight school himself, he was soon running Boeing Airplane Company in 1916 at age 35, with its very first Model C seaplane rolling out the doors toward the skies.
From the start, Boeing pursued government contracts, selling 50 of its improved Model 2s to the U.S. Navy for World War I in 1917 and bringing in $1.8 million in sales. When wartorn demand declined, Boeing pivoted from planes to furniture, leveraging his timber expertise to stay afloat.
Boeing Airplane Production: Early Years
| Year | Model | Production #s |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Model 6 | 20 |
| 1923 | Model 15 | 109 |
| 1927 | F2B Fighters | 25 |
Roaring Delivery: Building Boeing‘s First Monopolies
When passenger travel slowed, Boeing monopolized another new opportunity – U.S. airmail routes. Boeing built ever faster monoplanes with enclosed cabins to serve burgeoning postal demand. Their Model 40 could fly at 163 mph – rivaling even wartime fighters.
| Boeing Mail Plane Models | Production Numbers |
|---|---|
| Model 40 | approx. 500 |
| Model 80/215/247 | 75 |
| Total | approx. 575 planes |
Soon four in five airmail routes flew Boeing models. But angry competitors lobbied for antitrust investigations into Boeing‘s airmail monopoly…
