Crowd of people watching Howard Hughes arrive at the Washington Airport in Washington D.C. to thank Cordell Hull for the State Department's co-operation of Hughes' Round the World flight.

An overhead view of the near-fatal crash of Howard Hughes' XF-11 in Culver City, California.

The black and white view of Howard Hughes and his crew before leaving for Paris.

The black and white view of Howard Hughes and his crew before leaving for Paris.

The black and white view of Howard Hughes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Description written on back of photograph: "July 14, 1938: Tired and bearded, Howard Hughes was surrounded as he left his plane at the municipal airport (World-Chamberlain Field) to secure weather information before leaving Minneapolis to complete his record-breaking around-the-world flight-- the fastest flight ever made in circumnavigating the globe. Photo-courtesy "The Minneapolis Star" Board of Park Commissions 325 City Hall Minneapolis, Minn."

Typed onto a piece of paper attached to the image: "Crowd Greets Hughes On Arrival In Capital, Washington D.C. -- Howard Hughes and his companions came to Washington July 21, to personally thank Secretary of State Cordell Hull for the State Department's co-operation on their record world flight, and incidentally to be feted at a luncheon of the Press Club. The photo shows Hughes, in park suit and black hat, as he was led through a huge crowd on his arrival at the Washington Airport. Credit Line (ACME) 7/21/38 (NY FOR)."

Howard Hughes in the Lockheed 14. Typed on a piece of paper attached to the image: "As Howard Hughes took off from Coast for flight east. Los Angeles, California-- The huge Lockheed "Flying Laboratory" of Howard Hughes, millionaire oil man and speed flyer, taking off from here for the flight to New York, from where he will take off for Paris. Credit Line (ACME) 7/4/1938."