Kenneth Oppel didn’t have to create Theodore Grunel totally out of his imagination. There have been a number of unusual and eccentric inventors and millionaires in history, and one of the most famous was Howard Hughes.
Howard Hughes sits in the cockpit of one of his inventions: The Spruce Goose that still holds the record for the largest wingspan of any plane ever built—319 feet 11 inches (97.57 meters). This eight-engine wooden flying boathad room for 700 passengers...
Howard Hughes was born in 1905 and died in 1976. He was an American businessman and inventor, and became one of the world's richest people. During the 1930's and 1940's, he gained fame as a motion-picture producer and aviator (flyer). Then, in the mid-1950's, Hughes deliberately dropped out of sight. He became a mysterious figure who never appeared in public and even refused to have his photograph taken..Hughes was born on Dec. 24, 1905, in Houston. His father died in 1924, leaving him the Hughes Tool Company, an oil-field equipment firm. The firm became the basis of Hughes's financial empire. He later owned the Hughes Aircraft Company, RKO Pictures Corporation, and a controlling interest in Trans World Airlines.Hughes led a varied life. He became a Hollywood film producer after his father's death. His most successful movies included Hell's Angels (1930), Scarface (1932), and The Outlaw (1943). Hughes also designed and raced airplanes. He set several speed records, including an around-the-world mark of 3 days 19 hours 14 minutes. In the 1940's, he designed the plane that still holds the record for the largest wingspan of any plane ever built—319 feet 11 inches (97.57 meters). This eight-engine wooden flying boat, nicknamed Spruce Goose, had room for 700 passengers. In 1947, Hughes piloted the plane on its only flight. It flew 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) at a height of 70 feet (21 meters). Today, the Spruce Goose is on display at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinville, Oregon.At the time of Hughes's death on April 5, 1976, estimates of the value of his estate went as high as $2 billion. His relatives squabbled with each other over the inheritance of his money. An agreement to share the inheritance from the Hughes estate between 22 cousins was agreed apon.In 1971, the McGraw-Hill Book Company paid about $750,000 to Clifford Irving, a writer, for a manuscript he presented as Hughes's autobiography. Irving claimed he worked on it with Hughes, but Hughes denied knowing Irving. In 1972, Irving and his wife admitted to misrepresenting the manuscript to the publisher. They were fined and imprisoned.
Remember what you have learned about Theodore Grunel in the book Skybreaker. Write a paragraph of at least 6 sentences in MS WORD that outlines the similarities and differences you notice between Grunel and Hughes. Make sure that you proof read it before uploading it to the blog.
Some differences I saw were that Grunel was in an airship not a plane. Gunel didn’t make a plane (although I’m not sure if he made the airship). Some similarities were Grunel and Hughes were both very rich. They both have large vehicles that fly. More similarities are that they both died in an aircraft. They also both disappeared from being around people.
ReplyDeleteLindsay
These are some of the similarities and differences about Grunel and Hughes. Some of the similarities between Grunel and Hughes are that they are both billionaires. Some more similarities are that they both invent machines. Some of the differences between them are that Hughes invented planes and Grunel invented air ships. Some more similarities are that they both after a couple years of their life would not show their self’s to the public. Grunel and Hughes are a lot alike in some ways but are also very different. carly
ReplyDeleteTheodore Grunel and Howard Hughes are the same because they were both inventors and made some pretty neat inventions, they were both millionaires they both had a kind of flying ship too. The differences are their names for one and that they called their “flying machines’’ different names. Theodore called his (again)”flying machine’’ the Hyperion and Howard called his the Spruce Goose. Another difference is that the paragraph says that Howard Hughes is from America but Theodore is from Scotland.
ReplyDelete~Hannah
Theodore and Howard both are rich. They both make lots of inventions. For example Theodore makes weird machines and Howard make airplanes. They both didn’t like to take pictures of themselves in public. Both of them were very mysterious. Howard was a film producer of lots of movies like The Outlaw while Theodore wasn’t a producer in any movie. Howard was a American businessman but Theodore was not.
ReplyDeleteMartin
Howard and Theodore both went mysteriously missing and were never seen again. They both came up with inventions. They both were very wealthy. None of them were very kind. Howard was born in the U.S.A. Theodore was moving to the U.S. Theodore and Howard both were a bit unusual. Branden
ReplyDeleteTheodore Grunel is similar to Howard Hughes because in the book Sky breaker Theodore Grunel was very odd he had very different thoughts and so did Howard Hughes. There are some differences because Howard Hughes was more into being a dare devil and he was a wealthy business man and Theodore Grunel was more into being an inventor and not a business man but they both were quite rich. They both are similar because Theodore Grunel and Howard Hughes both wanted to be in the air more than the ground. Simmy.
ReplyDeleteGrunnel and Hughes were both very rich people. They also were inventors. Both also had people they disliked. Hughes and Grunnel were very odd people. They both dropped out of sight. Both people were famous. Anika
ReplyDeleteThere are many similarities and differences that I found such as Grunel didn’t become a Hollywood film producer. Grunels airship flew very high and is still in the sky but Hughes is on display at the evergreen aviation museum. Hughes raced his planes and Grunel didn’t. There are many ways that Hughes and Grunel are different but there are also many ways there the same. They both became very famous and Hughes plane held many people just like Grunels. Hughes and Grunel were also the same because they were both very rich.
ReplyDeleteRebecca
I think that Theodore Grunel and Howard Hughes are both inventors. But their names are different. And they are both very rich. They are both very strange men. And there birthdays are the same. They invented the Spruce Goose. One invented a machine that runs on nothing it creates heat, hydrium, water and who knows what else. Hughes was a film producer and Grunel was not. Hughes did not like getting his picture taken in public. Cole
ReplyDeleteTheodore Grunel and Howard Hughes are both inventors. They are also both rich. They both didn’t like to have pictures taken of them. Howard was a Hollywood film producer and produced movies like Scarface and Theodore on the other hand didn’t produce movies. Howard was a business man at his tool company and Theodore wasn’t a business man. Howard made air planes and Theodore made weird machines like the one that can tell your fortune. Theodore discovers animals that have been extinct like the Dodo bird and Howard Hughes isn’t into animals.
ReplyDeleteJP
Some things that Theodor Grunel and Howard Hughes had in common were that Theodor and Howard both mysteriously left public and tried to hide himself and other things (like inventions) from the rest of the world. Theodor and Howard were both famous inventers and were both a little weird. They also were both were very rich. Theodor went off in an air ship and Howard didn’t necessarily go off in an air ship. Theodor and Howard weren’t very kind to people. They both have lots of relatives. Theodor flew a Airship (blimp) and Howard flew a plain.
ReplyDeleteCatherine
I think they are different because Theodore Grunel did not like germ. Howard Hughes did not sent himself to the sky and stay there about all his life. Theodore Grunel had a idea to make a flying city with his generator that makes electrical energy and hydrium out of air, water and sunny beams. Theodore Grunel lived in Scotland and Howard Hughes lived in Houston, Texas Usa. They are both very wealthy and famous. They both made crazy invention that were manly flying invention they are both legendary. Jake
ReplyDeleteHoward Hughes lived from 1905 to 1976. He was one of the richest people in the world. For a living Howard Hughes was a businessman and an inventor. He became a Hollywood film producer after his father died. In the 1930 he had a extremely successful movie called Hell’s angels. He designed the biggest plain in the world that still holds the world record for world’s largest plain its wing span was 319 feet 11 inches long. It was called the spruce goose for a nickname. The spruce goose was worth 2 million dollars. Hughes death was April 5, 1976.
ReplyDeleteJayden
Howard Hughes like Theodore Grunel was almost obsessed with things in the air. Even though Howard Hughes did not want to build a flying city, he did build a numerous amount of airplanes, and participated in a large number of airplane races/shows. Howard Hughes also deliberately dropped out of sight like Grunel did when he went on the Hyperion. Hughes was also like Grunel because he was a millionaire and an inventor.
ReplyDelete~Emily
Theodore is very odd like Howard Hughes. They are similar because they both like to be in the air and not so much on the ground. They are both in to making inventions worth millions. The Hyperion is a little like the spruce Gosse they are both very big and worth A LOT. But the Hyperion is not real. P.S. I wish it was. Skybreaker is very interesting.kobe
ReplyDeleteTheodore Grunel is similar to Howard Hughes because there were both very odd. But they both had some differences because Howard Hughes was into was more like a dare devil than an inventor like Theodore Grunel. They also had tones of money and they were both very wealthy men. They both also died but in different ways Theodore died in the air and Howard died on the ground. But they both wanted to be in the air. They both didn’t like getting pictures taken.
ReplyDeleteConnor.
Howard Hughes and Theodore Grunel had many similarities. Some of them were they both did not like going into public places, also they were both very rich, both of them were inventors. Howard Hughes and Theodore Grunel had some differences. Some of them were they both had different ships.
ReplyDeleteLindsey O.
Grunel and Hughes were both airship fliers, they both disappeared and never showed themselves in public, they were both multi-millionaires and mostly of all they were eccentric yet mysterious. However, there are many differences just like there are similarities. First of all, Hughes became a Hollywood film producer, unlike Grunel who was more interested in taxidermy. Hughes also raced planes and set records including going around the world in a little bit under four days. Hughes made an airship type plane called the Spruce Goose. Howard’s ship is not “lost” like the Hyperion is; it resides in the Evergreen Aviation Museum in Oregon. Howard’s money just like Grunel’s was argued over and became “lost”, however it came to agreement over twenty two cousins. In my opinion, they are totally different people.
ReplyDeleteRyan
There are many similarities between Howard Hughes and Theodore Grunel. Both of them were inventors, Howard Hughes and Theodore Grunel were very rich and they did not like going into public and they were both dare Devils. The differences in Howard Hughes and Theodore Grunel . They both flew different ships, Howard Hughes ship was bigger than Theodore Grunels.
ReplyDeleteJosh
Grunel and Hughes are very similar. They are both millionaires, there both inventers, and they both flew. But there were differences. One flew in a plane and the other one flew in an airship.
ReplyDeleteCameron
The similatries between Theodore and Howard is that they both like to make inventions. They are both extremely rich. They don’t like taking pictures of themselves, and both of them are really mysterious. The differences between Theodore and Howard are that Howard made machines but they were not airplanes and Theodore made airplanes only. One flew a plane and the other one flew an airship.
ReplyDeleteAastha
Some same things I saw is that was that Grunel and Hughes where both rich men. They both made the world record for the biggest ships in the 1940s. And all so they are both strange men to. The differences I saw was that the real ship only flue for 20 seconds. And in the book the ship lasted 40 years. Both Grunel and Hughes are to different names. The ship in the book has hydrium. Ben
ReplyDeleteGrunel and Hughes have three similarities. Grunel and Hughes were famous inventors. They both are really strange people because they both never thought things over. Another similarity is that when they got really rich and famous they would never show their face in public. Something different is Hughes died of old age in 1976 and Grunel froze to death. Another difference is that Grunel drove airship and Hughes drove airplanes. Another difference is that Grunel owns a famous air ship and Hughes made famous planes.Jadenn
ReplyDeleteHoward Hughes was the richest business man /inventor. He lived until 1976. He was born in Houston, Texas, but Theodore Grunel was born in Scotland. Howard Hughes built a ship called the Spruce Goose, and Grunel had a ship called the Hyperion. But the Hyperion went missing forty years ago, the spruce goose got so high it only traveled 1 mile (1.6 km) but it only a few dozen seconds of space. Howard Hughes was legendary and prosperous same as Theodore Grunel. At the time of Hughes death was estimated 2 billion dollars!!!! Howard Hughes had awareness of germ so he looked himself in a hotel room and then he bought the hotel and the next one beside it so he was alone and no one can reach him. Halle
ReplyDeleteOne of the similarities between Theodore Grunel and Howard Hughes is they were both very famous inventors. Another similarity between them is that when they became famous neither of them wanted to show their face in public. The last similarity is that they both flew some sort of air travel machines. There are also three differences one of them would be that when Theodore Gunel died he froze to death and Howard Hughes died of old age. Another difference is Theodore Grunel flew air ships and Howard Hughes flew planes. The last difference is that Howard Hughes was also a Hollywood director.
ReplyDeleteLena
Something similar about Grunel and Hughes is that they were both inventors. Grunel and Hughes were both strange because they both never thought things over. Another similarity is they were both rich, famous and lost from public. Something different about them is that Grunel flew an airship and Hughes flew airplanes. Hughes died from old age and Grunel died from ice. Hughes slipped away on his own and Grunel flew away. Rielle
ReplyDeleteHoward Hughes and Theodore Grunel are similar because they both are mysterious. Both of them like airships. Both of them are rich. Both of them have big airships. Both of them are inventors. They are different because Howard Hughes ship flew for 20 seconds and Theodore Grunels flew for 40 years. J.M
ReplyDeleteGrunel and Hughes are similar because they are both billionaires. They are also both masteries. Grunel and Hughes both died and were never seen again. They both own a air ship. Grunel and Hughes also have differences because Grunel is didn’t invent the biggest plan in the world. They are also different because Hughes went to Hollywood to be a film producer. Jacob
ReplyDeleteTheadore Grunel and Howard Hughes are the same because they are both very rich. Theadore Grunel invents air craft's so as Howard Hughes. But Theadore Grunel makes skybreakers and Howard Hughes makes airplans and jets. The other differences are Theadore Grunel is from Scottland and Howard Hughes is born in United States of America. I think Theadore Grunel is more rich.
ReplyDeleteJK
Howard Hughes is different than Theodore Grunel because Howards ship went for 20 seconds and Teodores ship went for 40 years. They both bilt air ship and road in it. They both like air ships a lot. They were both captains of they’re own ship. They both died in there air ship. There air ships both fell in the ocean.
ReplyDeleteAutumn