Founder William Boeing incorporates Pacific Aero Products Co. (which is renamed Boeing Airplane Co. in 1917).

Boeing hires Wong Tsoo, a Chinese graduate of aeronautical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to be the company’s first aeronautical engineer. Tsoo is instrumental in the development and success of the Model C seaplane. The Navy orders 50 of the biplanes for $575,000, a major contract for Boeing.

Fast fact: In its early years, Boeing was considered unique in terms of the diverse candidates it hired for top positions. The company hired Helen Holcombe, its first woman engineer, to its drafting department, in 1917. Its first Black employee, a stenographer, was hired in 1942.

1917

The U.S. enters World War I, and Boeing supplies the government with planes for training pilots and patrol flying boats

1918

After the end of World War I, airplane orders decline, and Boeing focuses on other lines of businesses, such as making furniture and building small, flat-bottom boats (known as “sea sleds”) to stay afloat.

The U.S. government allows private companies to start delivering mail, and William Boeing and pilot Eddie Hubbard fly 60 letters from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle, Washington — which becomes the first bag of international mail to fly into the U.S. (Within a decade, the company would start building aircraft specifically for mail service.)

1921

Boeing is awarded the contract to build the MB-3A, which becomes the military’s mainstay aircraft from 1922 to 1925. This marks the start of fighter plane production for the government in the 1920s.

Related: Boeing's turbulent descent: The company’s scandals & mishaps explained

Philip G. Johnson

• Education: Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, University of Washington School of Engineering

• First tenure: February 1926 to August 1933

As Boeing’s chief executive succeeding its founder, Johnson navigated Boeing through the Great Depression and, in his second stint, through World War II. Improvements in aircraft design marked the end of the biplane and the advent of the monoplane.

Johnson first joined Boeing as a draftsman earning $25 a week shortly after graduating from university in 1917, and nine years later he became its chief executive.

1926

Johnson, 31, takes over as president of Boeing, as its founder steps aside to become chairman.

1928

Boeing’s air transportation unit buys a majority stake in Pacific Air Transport, an airline flying up and down the West Coast. It is later renamed United Aircraft and Transport Corp., which becomes the forerunner to United Airlines  (UAL) .

1930

Boeing introduces the monoplane. One version, the Model 200, is built exclusively for mail service, and a second version, the Model 221, is created for mail and passenger use.

It later develops the monoplane as a fighter aircraft for the military, and a bomber takes its first flight in 1931. Biplane production eventually phases out.

1932

United Air Lines orders 60 all-metal aircraft, and Boeing gives it an advantage in the commercial airline business by offering it exclusively first.

1933

The Boeing Model 247 — a low-wing, two-engine monoplane with advanced features such as retractable landing gear — takes flight as the first modern airliner.

Clairmont L. Egtvedt

• Education: Bachelor's degree, University of Washington School of Engineering

• First tenure: September 1933 to September 1939

Egtvedt continues Johnson’s leadership in guiding Boeing through the Great Depression and focuses on pushing Boeing to the forefront of military and commercial aviation in the U.S. Among the innovations at Boeing was the development of large, all-metal aircraft and long-range bombers, and a focus on aerodynamic research. Egtvedt and Johnson were the only CEOs to serve on two separate terms.

1933

Egtvedt takes over as president, while Johnson becomes president of United Aircraft.

1934

Boeing’s United Aircraft becomes embroiled in a U.S. Senate investigation into airmail contract awards, and Johnson steps down. Eventually, United Aircraft is cited for being anti-competitive and is ordered to break up, with the airline business becoming United Airlines.

Egtvedt pushes for Boeing to build large aircraft, known as “Big Boeings,” and engineers start developing the XB-15, a long-range experimental bomber for the Army.

1935

The Boeing Model 299 XB-17 experimental bomber — the prototype of the B-17, which cost of more than $400,000 — makes its first flight, and newspaper reporters dub it “The Flying Fortress.” One of the aircraft, piloted by a military personnel, crashes in Ohio due to a mishap, and a Boeing test pilot dies.

1936

Despite the Model 299’s crash, the Army places orders for the aircraft.

Boeing spends $250,000 to build a large production facility on 28 acres.

Boeing lands a contract with Pan American Airways (Pan Am) to build six Model 314 Clippers, large flying boats designed to carry passengers on transoceanic flights.

1937

Boeing develops the XB-15, a long-range bomber that can fly 5,000 miles and can climb as high as 8,200 feet with a 31,205-pound load. The Army places orders for the aircraft.

1938

The Boeing Model 207 Stratoliner, the first U.S. pressurized commercial transport, takes its maiden flight.

1939

A deadly Stratoliner prototype crash prompts Boeing to expand aerodynamic research with more emphasis on preflight testing.

Philip G. Johnson

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical engineering, University of Washington School of Engineering

• Second tenure: September 1939 to September 1944

1939

Philip Johnson takes over once again as Boeing CEO in September, and Egtvedt becomes board chairman.

1940

Pan Am takes its first delivery of Model 307 Stratoliners and flies routes from the U.S. to Latin America. Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) flies a Stratoliner from New York to Los Angeles in 12 hours, 18 minutes.

1940

Boeing starts producing the P-51 Mustang, which becomes an important fighter aircraft for the Allies in World War II. Boeing builds 15,586 Mustangs in two years.

1941

Boeing breaks ground on new facilities to produce bombers and fighters, just prior to Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into the war

1942

With the U.S. entering World War II, orders for aircraft increase, and Boeing begins producing bombers, fighters, and transporters — among them the B-17 Flying Fortress Banshee and the B-29 Superfortress — in large quantities.

1943

Boeing engineers start preliminary work on and development of a jet-powered aircraft.

Clairmont L. Egtvedt

• Education: Bachelor's degree, University of Washington School of Engineering

• Second tenure: September 1944 to September 1945

1944

Johnson dies of a stroke in September, and Egtvedt takes over as CEO for a year until a new chief executive is appointed.

William M. Allen

• Education: University of Montana; Harvard Law School

• Tenure: September 1945 to April 1969

World War II brought significant changes in the air transportation industry, and William H. Allen had ambitious plans to guide the aircraft maker into the jet age after the surrender of Germany and Japan. The end of the war also brought a halt to the mass production of military aircraft, and Boeing needed to focus on commercial aviation to stay in business.

Despite lacking an engineering background (which the company’s previous CEOs had all shared), Allen’s predecessor Egtvedt — who took over briefly following Johnson's death — was confident that he had the acumen and leadership skills to guide Boeing away from propeller-driven aircraft and into what will be the new age of jet aircraft, intercontinental missiles, and spacecraft.

Among other achievements, Allen oversaw the 747 program and guided Boeing’s early participation in the U.S. space program. He became Boeing's longest-tenured CEO, serving almost 24 years.

1945

To end the war with Japan, the Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortress, drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and a few days later, a B-29 Bockscar bombs Nagasaki. With Japan’s surrender, World War II ends, and the U.S. government cancels its orders for bombers.

By the end of the year, 70,000 Boeing employees, 99,000 Douglas employees, and 86,000 North American Aviation employees will be left without jobs.

1946

The U.S. Army Air Forces orders two prototypes for a new multi-engined, jet-powered bomber, the Boeing XB-47. The end of the war brings more experimental aircraft to the fore, some with the help of German engineering. The jet age truly begins.

1948

Boeing continues to build large bombers, including the B-47 Stratojet, which can fly higher, faster, and longer than previous models and refuel in the air.

1950

Boeing proposes making its first production missile, the Bomar, for the U.S. Air Force, marking the beginning of mass missile production for the U.S. government.

1951

Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed companies combine resources to produce the B-47 bomber.

1952

Boeing starts building the Model 367-80, a jetliner and jet tanker prototype that will be known as the “Dash 80.” Two years later, it takes its first flight.

1955

Pan Am orders 20 Boeing Model 707 jet transports, developed from the Dash 80 prototype. The 707 becomes the first in Boeing’s 7-series of commercial jetliners. (The 727 makes its first flight in 1963, the 737 in 1967, and the 747 in 1969.)

1957

The first production Boeing 707-120 makes its first flight.

1958

The U.S. Air Force orders three Boeing 707-120 aircraft, which will be used by the president and other high-ranking government officials. The jet is called Air Force One when the president is aboard. President Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the first American president to board Air Force One.

1958

Pan Am takes delivery of the first commercial jetliner in the U.S., a Boeing 707-120, four months ahead of schedule. The airline starts flying a transatlantic route in October.

1958

The U.S. Air Force picks Boeing to assemble and test the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

1959

The Boeing 720, a modified 707 designed for shorter runways and short-to-medium airline routes, makes its first flight.

1961

Boeing Airplane Co. officially changes its name to The Boeing Company.

1962

Boeing goes through an initial public offering, and its stock begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

1964

NASA taps Boeing to build eight Lunar Orbiter spacecraft, which will be used to take close-range photographs of the moon. This is one of the earliest space projects Boeing takes on with the U.S. government. (In 1969, Boeing starts building the Lunar Roving Vehicle, which will be driven by astronauts on the moon two years later.)

1966

Boeing plans production of a 490-passenger transport (later designated the 747). Construction of a new plant for making the wide-body jets begins in June in Everett, Washington.

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Thornton A. Wilson

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering, Iowa State University; Master of Science degree, California Institute of Technology; MIT Sloan School of Management (did not complete)

• Tenure: April 1969 to April 1986

Wilson was a lifelong Boeing employee, starting in 1942 after graduating from Iowa State, and he helped in designing the B-47 and B-52 bombers. As CEO, he was responsible for developing and producing the 757 and 767 jetliners, But in the early 1970s, commercial aircraft sales declined, and the government halted funding to the company’s supersonic transport (SST) program.

Boeing was on the verge of bankruptcy, and Wilson made some difficult decisions — including laying off 95,000 workers, which made up two-thirds of its workforce. After consolidating Boeing’s businesses and reeling from the effects of the energy crisis in the 1970s, Wilson led Boing toward producing more fuel-efficient commercial aircraft. By the time he stepped down in 1986, Boeing had a 55% share of the commercial jet market.

1970

Airbus Industrie — a consortium of aerospace companies from West Germany, France, England, and Spain — is founded and becomes Boeing's main competitor in the global commercial aircraft market.

1973

The Boeing Vertol division expands into rail transportation and has contracts to build 230 light rail vehicles for Boston and San Francisco.

1978

Boeing begins production of the 757, a short to medium-range aircraft, and the 767, a medium to long-range airliner.

Frank A. Shrontz

• Education: Bachelor of Laws, University of Idaho; MBA, Harvard Business School,

• Tenure: April 1986 to April 1996

Shrontz first joined Boeing in 1958 and left in 1973 for a stint in the U.S. Department of Defense. He returned to Boeing in 1977 and oversaw production of the 707, 727, and 737 aircraft. He advocated for the mid-range 737, and it became a best-selling aircraft.

During his time as CEO, Boing made parts for the International Space Station and developed the 777, a wide-body, twin-engine jet that could be used for carrying passengers and cargo.

1990

The Boeing 737 becomes the world’s bestselling jetliner when United Airlines takes delivery of the 1,832nd 737. Overall, Boeing delivers a total of 6,000 commercial jets, with delivery of a 767, to Britannia Airways.

Work begins on the 777.

1995

Boeing gets a $5.63 billion contract from NASA to design and develop the International Space Station.

1996

Boeing acquires the Rockwell aerospace and defense units, which are jointly renamed Boeing North American and operate as a subsidiary.

Philip M. Condit

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, University of California at Berkeley; master’s degree in aeronautical engineering, Princeton University; master’s degree in management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; doctorate in engineering, Science University of Tokyo

• Tenure: April 1996 to December 2003

Condit is credited with establishing Boeing for what it is today — a broad-based, global enterprise formed by a series of major mergers and acquisitions, including the merger with McDonnell Douglas, and the acquisitions of Rockwell Aerospace and Hughes Space & Communications. Following the merger, Condit led the move of Boeing’s headquarters from Seattle, where it was founded in 1916, to Chicago.

Condit joined Boeing after graduating from Princeton in 1965, and he started as an aerodynamics engineer on the SST program.

At various stages in his Boeing career before becoming CEO, he worked on the 747, 757, and was director of program management on the 707/727/737 Division. He led the team developing the 777 wide-body airplane. Boeing says that Condit “pioneered management concepts that integrated design/build teams of customers, suppliers, and employees to design and produce the 21st-century jet.”

However, despite all of these company achievements, Condit stepped down as CEO to take responsibility for the hiring of an Air Force procurement official who had helped Boeing secure an Air Force contract to lease and buy Boeing refueling tankers.

1997

Boeing merges with McDonnell Douglas Corp., and Phil Condit stays on as Boeing CEO. Harry Stonecipher, former McDonnell Douglas CEO, becomes Boeing president and chief operating officer.

2000

In a string of acquisitions, Boeing purchases Hughes Electronics Corp.’s space and communications business for $3.75 billion in cash. Boeing also acquires Jeppesen Sanderson Inc., the world’s leading provider of flight information services, for $1.5 billion in cash.

Orders for Boeing jets push the cumulative total to more than 15,000.

2001

Boeing begins operating from its global headquarters in Chicago, after almost a century based in the Seattle area. Boeing Satellite Systems launches its 200th commercial communications satellite.

Boeing focuses on developing aircraft for speed and fuel efficiency, betting that customers prefer fuel efficiency over carrying more passengers. That was in contrast to Airbus's strategy, with the construction of large, double-deck passenger aircraft dubbed A380 that could carry as many as 853 passengers between major city airports.

2002

Boeing merges the company’s space, defense, government, intelligence and communications businesses into one business unit, headquartered in St. Louis. The subsidiary will later be named Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

2003

Washington officials provide $3.2 billion in incentives for Boeing to produce its 787 aircraft in the state.

Harry C. Stonecipher

• Education: Bachelor of Science degree in physics, Tennessee Technological University

• Tenure: December 2003 to March 2005

Stonecipher came out of retirement at 67 years old and immediately took over as CEO from Condit, who stepped down abruptly. He had served as CEO of McDonnell Douglas before its merger with Boeing in 1997 and subsequently retired in 2002.

During his time as CEO, Stonecipher worked on mending relations with the Air Force, and Boeing consequently was able to bid on Air Force contracts again.

An important program started under Stonecipher was codenamed 7E7, with the E representing efficiency. The aircraft is officially designated the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a wide-body aircraft with a focus on fuel efficiency and long range, with the 8 in 787 reportedly picked to symbolize good luck in China, at a time when Boeing sought orders from China’s air carriers. The 787 was based on the design of the 777, but Stonecipher focused on streamlining the production process to reduce costs.

Stonecipher’s tenure was short, at 15 months, so that Boeing could focus on appointing a CEO who would fill that role over a long term. James A. Bell, Boeing’s chief financial officer, was interim CEO for a few months following Stonecipher’s departure and returned to the CFO role until a successor was appointed.

2003

Boeing’s board of directors approves offering the 7E7 Dreamliner for sale.

2004

All Nippon Airways places an order for 50 of the 787 aircraft. By the end of 2005, orders rise to 282, coming from Air Canada, Air India, Norwegian Air, and Northwest Airlines.

W. James McNerney Jr.

• Education: Bachelor of arts, Yale; MBA, Harvard University

• Tenure: July 2005 to July 2015

For the first time in its nearly 100-year history, Boeing appointed an outsider to be CEO. McNerney served as CEO of 3M (MMM) from 2000 until his Boeing appointment in 2005. Prior to 3M, McNerney worked for 19 years at General Electric (GE), where at one time, he was in charge of the aircraft engines division.

2009

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner makes its first flight from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, three years later than initially projected due to production delays and supply chain issues.

2010

Boeing delivers the U.S. on-orbit segment of the International Space Station to NASA.

2011

Boeing launches the development of the 737 MAX, a short-haul plane that’s smaller than the 787 Dreamliner. It’s based on the 737 but with larger engines and is designed to compete with Airbus’s A320neo — a newer, fuel-efficient update to the narrow-body A320.

Orders from airliners around the world start to come in, including budget carrier Lion Air of Indonesia and Ethiopian Airlines.

2013

Fires break out in separate incidents in the lithium-ion battery compartments of two of ANA’s 787 aircraft, forcing the temporary grounding of all Dreamliners worldwide. Boeing later redesigns the battery system, and 787 aircraft resume flying.

2014

An engine fire on an Air India 787 breaks out due to an oil leak.

Dennis A. Muilenburg

• Education: Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering, Iowa State University; master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics, University of Washington

• Tenure: July 2015 to December 2019

Muilenburg joined Boeing in 1985 and worked in program management and engineering positions supporting the company’s commercial airplanes and defense businesses for 15 years. He was promoted into defense contract positions before moving on to executive roles.

Muilenburg was forced to step down in 2019 after the two fatal 737 MAX crashes.

2016

Five years after deciding to update the 737 rather than starting a new design, the 737 MAX 8 takes its first flight. The 737 MAX 9 — a slightly longer version of the MAX 8 that can carry more passengers — takes its flight a year later, in 2017.

2018

In October, A Lion Air 737 MAX 8 crashes after takeoff from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, resulting in the death of 189 people on board. Despite the crash, the Dreamliner remains popular, and Boeing sells the 787th Dreamliner, making it what Boeing says is the fastest-selling twin-aisle jet in history.

Boeing posts record revenue of $101 billion in 2018, with net income at more than $10 billion.

2019

Boeing stock closes at a record high of $440 on March 1.

Ten days later, an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 crashes after take-off from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, killing all 157 people on board. All MAX aircraft are temporarily grounded. Initial reports later point to faulty software on the MAX’s flight control system that prevented pilots from taking effective manual control of the aircraft.

In August, engine failure on a Norwegian Air 787 causes debris to fall over a town near Rome, shortly after taking off there.

Following the two fatal 737 crashes, Muilenburg steps down as CEO in December.

David L. Calhoun

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Virginia Tech University

• Tenure: January 2020 to August 2024

Calhoun joined Boeing as a member of the board of directors in 2009 and became its CEO in 2020. Prior to Boeing, Calhoun worked at a private equity firm, The Blackstone Group, from 2014 to 2019, and for Nielsen Holdings, where he served as CEO. He spent 26 years at GE, where he held various positions in operations, finance, and marketing.

Related: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun’s net worth & salary as he steps down

Calhoun navigated the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, but his tenure has been marked with annual losses in the billions of dollars as costs and expenses exceed revenues. Boeing was moving on a path of trying to improve its reputation after 737 MAX incidents. But in 2024, a series of controversial events landed Boeing back in the hot seat and earned it additional scrutiny from aviation regulators — leading to Calhoun’s resignation.

2021

Under an agreement with the Department of Justice, Boeing will pay a total criminal monetary amount of over $2.5 billion. This includes compensation payments to Boeing’s 737 MAX airline customers of $1.77 billion, and the establishment of a $500 million crash-victim beneficiaries fund to compensate the heirs, relatives, and legal beneficiaries of the 346 passengers who died in the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes. A penalty of $243.6 million is also imposed.

2022

Boeing moves its global headquarters to Arlington, Virginia, after two decades in Chicago.

2024

In January, a rear side door panel on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 is ripped open due to a faulty plug, shortly after taking off from Portland, Oregon. No major injuries are reported. Other U.S. airlines conduct inspections on their 737 Max 9 aircraft and find loose parts.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily grounds all 171 of the 737 Max 9 aircraft in the U.S. and its territories and conducts an audit. Within a couple of months, this audit finds non-compliance issues in Boeing’s manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control.

Two whistleblowers airing concerns about Boeing’s safety practices are found dead in separate incidents months apart. John Barnett, a former Boeing quality control manager at Boeing’s 787 plant in Charleston, South Carolina, dies from what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March.

Two months later, Joshua Dean, a former quality auditor at Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems, dies from a sudden illness tied to a serious bacterial infection.

Calhoun announces in March that he would step down as CEO, in light of the MAX line’s problems.

In May, Boeing submits to the FAA a corrective action plan — in response to the 737 Max 9’s shortcomings — to improve its safety management system and increase internal audits of its production processes, among other initiatives. The FAA says it will actively monitor Boeing’s progress.

Robert Kelly Ortberg

• Education: Bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, University of Iowa

• Tenure: August 2024 to Present

Robert Kelly Ortberg, who goes by Kelly Ortberg, becomes Boeing’s fifth CEO in 20 years, and one of his tasks is turning around the company and returning it to profitability. An outsider executive, he previously served as CEO of Collins Aerospace, a components maker.

Before Ortberg took the chief executive role, the average tenure of Boeing's 11 previous CEOs, including its founder, was about 10 years. He succeeded Calhoun, who stepped down in August 2024, and inherited a series of regulatory and legal issues, including a Department of Justice criminal investigation into the Alaska Airlines door panel incident.

2024

In October, Boeing plans to lay off 10% of its workforce, or 17,000 employees. Union workers go on strike.

The company’s stock drops to a four-year low. Boeing reportedly plans to raise $25 billion in debt and equity to avoid a cash shortfall.

Boeing's stock price over the years

Will Boeing recover?

Boeing has a long history of appointing CEOs whose engineering backgrounds helped the company innovate and overcome problems. Yet, in recent years, criticism has been aimed at the most recent string of chief executives who focused on maximizing profit by streamlining the design and production process to reduce the time it took to get a new model aircraft ready for sale.

Related: Veteran fund manager sees world of pain coming for stocks