In the history of technology, Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. is one of the names that keeps returning.
The record lists Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. as American aeroplanes designer and businessman (1892–1981).
Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. was born at Brooklyn in 1892. His recorded nationality is the United States. He was educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and United States Naval Academy.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, national institutions, mass media and mass politics changed both the scale of a career and its risks.
He worked as entrepreneur, aircraft pilot and businessperson.
His principal work is Douglas DC-3. Technology is judged by adoption: an invention nobody uses is a curiosity.
Recognition followed: National Aviation Hall of Fame (1969) and Legion of Honour (1951).
That the work was done from the United States matters. Opportunity has never been evenly distributed, and where a person is based shapes which doors open and whose work gets seen.
Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. died in 1981, aged 89. What survives is the work, which is the only durable form of a reputation.
Achievements
- National Aviation Hall of Fame — 1969
- Legion of Honour — 1951
- Notable work: Douglas DC-3
- Educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and United States Naval Academy
- Worked as entrepreneur, aircraft pilot and businessperson
