Douglas, Donald Wills (1892-1981), an American aircraft manufacturer, organized the Douglas Company in 1921. It became the Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc., in 1928 and the McDonnell Douglas Corporation in 1967. He designed the army planes that made the first flight around the world in 1924. McDonnell Douglas made widely used commercial airliners and military aircraft. The firm was acquired by the Boeing Company in 1997.
Douglas was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 6, 1892. He died on Feb. 1, 1981, in Palm Springs, California.
