By Alastair Duncan

The company first took off on 15 July 1916 when a Seattle lumber merchant, William Boeing, started the Pacific Aero Products Company to explore the idea of making seaplanes. His first effort, the renowned Model 1, sat on two wooden canoes stitched together with piano wire. But it flew and an immediate contract with the US military set the business on a path to success.

Back then making planes was an artisanal effort. Skilled craftsmen would stretch and sew fabric over wooden frames. Bill Boeing insisted on the lightest materials: balsa wood as well as mahogany, silk as well as Read full story ›

Source: The Drum