William Boeing established the company that became Boeing in 1916.
The company began as the Aero Products Company in Seattle, Washington. William Boeing had developed an interest in aviation and acquired a seaplane, then worked with George Conrad Westervelt to build an aircraft known as the B&W seaplane.
In 1917, the company was renamed the Boeing Airplane Company. Its early products included military and commercial aircraft, and its business later expanded into airlines, aerospace manufacturing, defense, and space systems.
The Boeing Company has changed substantially since its Seattle beginnings. It merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, bringing another major American aircraft manufacturer into the Boeing corporate structure. The company’s headquarters later moved from Seattle to Chicago and then to Arlington, Virginia.