87 years ago today, on July 14, 1938 (June 17, 1938 lunar calendar), the American millionaire pilot set a new record for flying around the world. Adventurer Howard Hughes and his four companions made a world flight around the world in less than four days. On July 14, 1938, American millionaire pilot Howard Hughes and his crew landed at an airport in Brooklyn after a three-day, 19-hour, 17-minute flight. The purpose of the flight was to promote the "1939 World's Fair." His twin-engine "Lockheed" plane averaged 208 miles per hour. The plane traveled 14,824 miles, making stops in Paris, Moscow, and some parts of Siberia. His flight broke the record of seven days and 18 hours set by Willie Post five years ago, and more than two million people cheered on Hughes' return to New York.