1932 - founded by Howard Hughes in Culver City, California.

Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor. 1985 - General Motors acquired the Hughes Aircraft Company from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The resultant company became part of GM Hughes Electronics.

Hughes Aircraft and its subsidiaries produced many noted and inovative products including the 'Spruce Goose', H-4 Hercules transport aircraft, the XH-17 'Sky Crane' helicopter and the AIM-4 guided missile, as well as space probes, rocket motors and satellite technology.