Glenn L. Martin Company 1917 Baseball T-Shirt

Born in 1886 in Macksburg, Iowa, “The Flying Dude” was Glenn L. Martin’s nickname shortly after his pioneering flight in 1909. Martin continued to build aircraft and test them, and by 1911, he was considered a leader of powered flight. Martin formally founded the Glenn L. Martin Company in 1917 and began producing aircraft for the defense of the US and allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War. During the '50s and '60s, the Martin Company moved from the aircraft industry into the guided missile, space exploration, and space utilization industries. In 1961, the Martin Company merged with American-Marietta Corporation, a large industrial conglomerate, forming Martin Marietta Corporation.