Howard Hughes

About Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes (1905-1976), ranked #657 in historical importance by MIT's Pantheon project, was a multifaceted figure whose influence spanned aviation, filmmaking, and business. As a pioneering aviator, he set multiple world records and was instrumental in advancing aircraft design. In Hollywood, he produced iconic, large-scale films, notably the first true epic, *Hell's Angels*, and later, *Ice*. His business empire included TWA and the Hughes Tool Company, cementing his legacy as an eccentric industrialist whose impact stretched across several critical 20th-century sectors.

The modern internet attention paid to Hughes presents an interesting contrast to his historical ranking. In 2025, his Wikipedia pages accrued 2.1 million annualized views, giving him an attention gap score of +6x, indicating significant overattention relative to his historical standing. This high traffic level nearly matches that of contemporaries ranked far higher in importance, such as Bill Gates (#765 importance, 3.5M views) and Warren Buffett (#890 importance, 3.7M views), despite Hughes being historically ranked higher than both. His ongoing relevance suggests a lasting cultural mystique that sustains online engagement. The year-over-year view change of +6.2% suggests his visibility is growing, though the recent Q1 vs Q3 momentum drop of -14% indicates a slight cooling of immediate interest within the current year.