Hughes had role in creation of modern sand wedge

Mary Ann Sarazen, daughter of the late golfing legend Gene Sarazen, tells the story of how her father got the idea for the modern sand wedge. Naturally, there's a Howard Hughes connection. Check out the story here.

Hughes link to ‘Avatar'

The filmmaking history being made by James Cameron's "Avatar" owes a nod of a fedora to Howard Hughes. The 3D film was filmed primarily in Hughes' Playa Vista hangar where he built the flying boat. More here.

Nice profile of HRH's father

Investor's Business Daily recently printed an article on Howard Hughes Sr. and his breakthrough drill bit. I was interviewed for the piece and a few quotes ended up in the story. The reporter did a nice job of summarizing how Hughes Sr. made it big. Find the story here.

‘Howard Hughes’ now available on Kindle e-reader

If you have joined the digital revolution and own a Kindle e-reader, you can now read my book, "Howard Hughes: Power, Paranoia & Palace Intrigue," on that device.

The best news is that buying a Kindle edition is considerably cheaper than the old-fashioned codex version. The Kindle edition is $9.95, while the regular hardcover book is $25.95.

Hughes panel discussion in Vegas Thursday night

Paul Winn, Bob McCaffery and I will be at the Springs Preserve from 6:30-8 on Thursday evening to discuss Howard Hughes' life and legacy in Las Vegas. Paul worked for Hughes for many years and is becoming known as someone who is not shy about rebutting wild speculations about Hughes. Bob is very knowledgeable about Hughes, especially his exploits in the aviation field. I wrote a book about Hughes' years in Las Vegas. The moderator will be Lynn Zook, who coordinates the Springs Preserve's "Untold Stories" series. There is a fee to attend.

Flying boat flight anniversary

Today is the 62nd anniversary of the 1947 flight of Howard Hughes' HK-1 flying boat, aka the "Spruce Goose."

Another unlikely story

So, I'm perusing the Fall 2009 issue of Nevada Silver & Blue, the alumni magazine of the University of Nevada, Reno. I get this magazine because I am a proud alumnus of that university.

This issue contains an article titled, "Industrialist Howard Hughes Played a Major Role in Establishment of the School of Medicine."

This much, of course, is true. Hughes donated a couple hundred thousand dollars starting in 1969 to get the medical school off the ground.

But then I came across the following, as told by the school's founding dean, Dr. George Smith:

"I talked to Mr. Hughes directly one time after he gave the commitment. I went to his penthouse in Las Vegas and talked to him through a window to thank him."

This, as most Hughes historians believe, is highly unlikely. Hughes saw very few people during his four years at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. He was a recluse and did not greet visitors.

Mr. Smith, no doubt respected in his field and all that, either is not telling the truth about this scenario or he was somehow fooled into believing he was talking to Hughes when he was not.

It is very common, I have found, for people to feel a need to tell people they met with Hughes while he was in Las Vegas. I don't know why but otherwise respectable people try to perpetuate these almost-certain fictions.

You can read the alumni magazine article here.

Hughes key character in latest Ellroy novel

Novelist James Ellroy's latest novel, Blood's a Rover, is the last in a trilogy about America's criminal underworld. The first two novels were American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand.

According to marketing descriptions and reviews of the new book, Howard Hughes is a prominent character, covering his buying of Las Vegas casinos during the late 1960s.

It's important to note that Ellroy writes fiction. He uses real-life characters such as Hughes and Richard Nixon, but he has created an alternate, speculative history here. Although Ellroy's speculative take may be entrancing or persuasive as representing something closer to "what really happened," in the end it is fiction, intended primarily for entertainment, not enlightenment.

Key player in Glomar Explorer saga dies

Christopher Fitzgerald, a CIA agent and the lead engineer in the construction of the Glomar Explorer, has died. Sounds like an interesting guy. Check out his Washington Post obituary here.

Howard Hughes history panel slated

Las Vegas can't get enough of Howard Hughes. Another panel discussion about his time in Las Vegas is set for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Springs Preserve. Yours truly will be involved, as will others who actually knew the man. Lynn Zook will moderate. Please note that there is a fee to attend events at the Springs Preserve.

This discussion comes on the heels of a successful panel discussion about Hughes that I was involved in associated with the Clark County centennial celebration. Paul Winn, who worked for Hughes in Los Angeles, and Burton Cohen, who worked for him in Las Vegas, also sat on the panel.

The centennial panel was televised live, then rebroadcast about a hundred times on the county cable channel, generating a surprising number of people who told me they saw me on TV. I didn't realize so many people watched the county government channel. But there's an explanation: It's Channel 4, so it's hard to miss if you start surfing at Channel 2 or 3.