Howard Robard Hughes Jr. was a man of many talents and interests; he made his name as a business magnate, investor, aviator, aerospace engineer, filmmaker, and philanthropist. He inherited his family's successful oil tool business and made investments in films. He gained eminence in Hollywood from the late 1920s, making big-budget and often controversial films, such as 'The Racket,' 'Hell's Angels,' 'Scarface,' and 'The Outlaw.' He is considered one of the most significant aviators in history. Besides designing and building planes, he risked his own life several times testing planes and setting new air speed records. While he is credited with many aviation innovations, such as the first retractable landing gear, he is also remembered for one of his biggest flops—'the Spruce Goose.' He acquired and expanded 'Trans World Airlines,' which later merged with 'American Airlines.' He established the 'Howard Hughes Medical Institute' in Miami, Florida. Hughes is also remembered for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle in his later life, caused in part by a worsening obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and chronic pain. At the time of his death, he was one of the wealthiest people in the world and perhaps the loneliest.