Industrialist, aviator, film producer, and legendary recluse, Howard Hughes was one of the most extraordinary, accomplished, and mysterious figures America has ever produced. Here he climbs into the cockpit of his Northrop Gamma H-1 plane (refitted with an engine he helped engineer) prior to breaking the speed record for transcontinental flight. On January 18, 1937, he took off from Burbank, Calif., and landed in Newark, New Jersey, 7 hours, 28 minutes, and 25 seconds later, besting his own 1936 record time by almost 2 hours.