The Boeing Company's story began in 1916, when American lumber industrialist William E. Boeing founded Pacific Aero Products Company in Seattle, Washington. This venture was sparked by his fascination with airplanes, which he first encountered at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909. A year later, he acquired a wooden boat manufacturing plant that would become his first airplane factory. Teaming up with U.S. Navy officer Conrad Westervelt, Boeing developed the B&W seaplane. In 1917, the company was renamed Boeing Airplane Company. The early years saw Boeing building 'flying boats' for the Navy during World War I and later supplying trainers, pursuit planes, observation craft, torpedo planes, and patrol bombers to the U.S. military throughout the 1920s and 30s.
The late 1920s marked Boeing's expansion into airmail services, and in 1928, William Boeing formed the Boeing Airplane & Transport Corporation to encompass both manufacturing and airline operations. This was followed by a renaming to United Aircraft and Transport Corporation in 1929 and the acquisition of several aircraft makers, including Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aviation. In 1931, the company consolidated its airline holdings into United Airlines. However, antitrust legislation in 1934 mandated the separation of aircraft manufacturing from air transportation, leading to the dissolution of United Aircraft and Transport. This resulted in the formation of three independent entities: Boeing Airplane Company, United Airlines, and United Aircraft Corporation (later United Technologies). Despite this restructuring and a temporary dip in employment, the looming World War II revived Boeing's fortunes with significant orders for bombers. The company became a major contributor to the Allied war effort, producing iconic aircraft like the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress. Post-war, Boeing continued its military aircraft production with jets like the B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress, while also venturing into the commercial jetliner market with the 707 in 1958. The company officially became The Boeing Company in 1961, reflecting its diversification into fields beyond aircraft, including missiles and space technology. A significant merger with McDonnell Douglas Corporation in 1997 further solidified Boeing's position as a global aerospace leader. Over the decades, Boeing has continued to innovate and expand, moving its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago in 2001, and then to Arlington, Virginia, in 2022.
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