Howard Hughes purchases Trans World Airlines
Before options trading was as easy as calling your local broker, Howard Hughes was making his money in the most eccentric of ways. Hughes fell in love with whatever he wanted and then he did everything he could to have as much of it as possible. This mindset of ‘Mine’ led Hughes to make a ton of money with the Trans World Airlines. Back in 1952 the iconic airline was bought by Hughes for an investment total of $7 million dollars. After a lengthy lawsuit, which typically doesn’t occur on a list of ‘best business decisions’, Hughes was forced to sell his shares for a cool $500 million profit. That number is huge, but not corporate big right? Adjusted for inflation, that number is actually closer to $4 billion dollars. You can see Hughes and his obsession in the hit Martin Scorcese film The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Howard Hughes purchases Trans World Airlines
Ray Kroc decides to invest in McDonalds.
Investing is truly an art form and seeing potential in a small business perhaps the most important nuance of all. Many years ago Ray Kroc found potential in a pair of McDonald brothers and their aspirations to start a true burger joint. Starting in California as a drive in, Kroc put $2.7 million dollars of his own money in an attempt to kickstart the franchise. That $2.7 million would be adjusted to over $20 million due to inflation. Krocs investment turned into a gigantic profit over $1.1 billion dollars. Kroc sadly passed away in 1984, 23 years after buying out the McDonald brothers, but his initial money has literally changed the world. You can find McDonalds in almost every country in the world and the golden arches have become a global icon.
Ray Kroc decides to invest in McDonalds