I . Howard Hughes
(1905–76)
a rich American who produced and directed films, and built planes. He owned an oil company and the Hughes Aircraft Company. His films included Hell’s Angels (1930) and The Outlaw (1941). He established several fastest flights (1935–8) and designed the world’s largest aircraft (1947). Hughes gained control of RKO in 1948 and TWA in 1959, and he helped to develop Las Vegas in the 1960s. He hid from the public for the last 25 years of his life.
II . Langston Hughes
(1902–67)
a US poet and writer who was a leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance . He used African-American rhythms in his poems, most of which are about city life. They include The Weary Blues (1926), Not Without Laughter (1930) and One-Way Ticket (1949). He also wrote novels, plays, children’s books and an autobiography.
III . Robert Hughes
(1938– )
an Australian art critic, writer and broadcaster. He writes for Time and has written a number of books about art including American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America (1997). He is also known in Britain and the US for his television series The Shock of the New (1981), and The New Shock of the New (2004) about modern art. He also speaks for the Australian Republican Movement .
IV . Ted Hughes
(1930–98)
an English poet whose work gives a powerful picture of both the beauty and the violence of the natural world. His best-known collections of poetry include The Hawk in the Rain (1957) and Crow (1970). He also wrote books for children, including The Iron Man (1968) ( The Iron Giant in the US). He was Poet Laureate from 1984. His first wife was the US poet Sylvia Plath . In 1998 he published a book of poems about their relationship, Birthday Letters .