History of Boeing CompanyShortly after the Wright brother’s famous flight, William Boeing assembled his first seaplane and established the Boeing B&W Seaplane Company in 1916.
On May 9, 1917, the company became the “Boeing Airplane Company.”
In the 1930s and 1940s Boeing manufactured bombers and aircraft for commercial transport.
In 1954 the company developed the first prototype of 707, which ultimately revolutionized our travel around the world.
In 1967 McDonnell Douglas was formed by a merger of two separate companies, McDonnell and Douglas.
The merged company continued to manufacturer commercial aircraft, combat aircraft and space vehicles.
McDonnell Douglas introduced the DC-3, which became so popular that 90 percent of the world’s air travelers flew on them.
North American Aviation Inc. was first established in 1928.
In the beginning the company focused its business primarily on small, single engine to avoid competing with manufacturer of large, multi-engine aircraft.
During the late 1930s the company also began to make military aircraft. According to the company, between the years 1939 – 67 the company built more military aircraft than nay other aircraft manufacturer in the United States.
McDonnell Douglas developed Mercury and Gemini, the manned space flights in the early 1960s. In 1968 Boeing introduced its jumbo jet, the 747, to meet the growing demand for air travel and MacDonnell Doulas developed the F-4 Phantom II fighter aircraft.
The business interests of Boeing, McDonnell Douglas and North American began to intersect in the 1960s when they became partners on the NASA Apollo Program, followed by the International Space Station.
The three companies finally merged in December 1996 to become the New Boeing.
A prime motive for the merger was to compete more effectively with rivals.
History of Boeing Company
