Chances are, if you've ever stepped aboard a commercial flight, you were sitting inside a Boeing aircraft. As one of the world's largest aerospace manufacturers and a true global powerhouse, the Boeing Company has an enormous reach — with more than 10,000 commercial airplanes currently in active service around the globe. Since its founding on January 15th, 1916, the company has designed, produced, and sold airplanes, rockets, missiles, and satellites to customers worldwide.
The visionary behind it all was William Boeing, a Yale University graduate whose ambition and foresight built the foundation for what would become a legendary enterprise. He established the company in Seattle, Washington, originally under the name "B&W," and by late 1916 had already created his debut aircraft — the "Boeing Model 1." His drive and entrepreneurial determination truly came into focus during WWI, when he received a commission to construct 50 planes for the US Navy. With business picking up, he renamed B&W to The Boeing Airplane Company, and from there, growth accelerated rapidly. Over the course of a century, the company expanded dramatically, ultimately taking its modern form after a merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997.
In its current structure, Boeing operates through three distinct groups: Defense, Space and security, and Global Services. The company stands as the reigning global leader in aviation and holds the distinction of being the largest exporter in the United States by dollar — a true household name by any measure. William Boeing himself was posthumously honored with induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1966, a decade after his death.