Boeing Celebrates 100th Anniversary

Friday marks the 100th anniversary of the date when of one of the most influential aircraft manufacturers in the history of the world — The Boeing Company — was born. Since July 15, 1916, the Seattle-based aircraft giant has had its ups and downs, but managed to weather the storms of the notoriously cyclic aviation market. Do you know where the company’s name came from? Check out this video to learn more about the history of the name and the logo of the iconic company.

Boeing pioneered a long list of winning aircraft designs. In the commercial realm, airplanes such as the Boeing 707, 737, 747, 777 and 787 have all become icons, shrinking the world for ordinary passengers. In 2012, the 737 became the first commercial airliner to surpass 10,000 orders. For the past 20 years, Boeing has also successfully converted some of its heavy commercial jets to luxury Boeing Business Jets.

Since its inception, Boeing has also been a highly successful manufacturer of military aircraft, bringing a long list of winning bombers, fighters, transporters, tankers, helicopters and even a tilt rotor to military fleets around the globe. The company’s military and space footprint grew significantly in the mid 1990s, when Boeing purchased one of its major competitors - McDonnell Douglas.

Today, Boeing’s toughest competitor is the French manufacturing giant Airbus, which this week released a video with a surprise message to commemorate the centennial. See the video below.