Founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing, a wealthy timber merchant, the
mighty Boeing Company's 100-year history spans decades of rich
achievement and technological development. Beginning with the
manufacture of seaplanes, fighters and, from the 1930s onwards, huge
bombers, Boeing pioneered innovative transports - gigantic airliners,
missiles, rockets and most recently vehicles for space exploration and
satellites.
Constantly evolving, Boeing set out to develop an entirely new jet
transport, and in 1954 the innovative 707 appeared. The 727 and 737
airliners quickly followed and in 1969 the revolutionary 747. By 1975
the 'Jumbo Jet' was being produced in seven different models and new
versions continue to be developed to this day. Aviation author and
historian Martin Bowman looks back over 100 years of Boeing's history,
detailing the story of the company from its humble side-project
beginnings to its ascent into being one of the world's largest aircraft
manufacturers.