Anthony Fokker (born Anton Herman Gerard Fokker) was a Dutch airplane designer and businessman. Born in the Dutch East Indies, he moved to Europe and attended school in Germany. In 1910, he built his first aircraft and became a pilot. In 1912, he founded his first aircraft company in Germany. When World War I started, the German government nationalized his company and Fokker designed many military craft, including the famed Fokker triplane used by Manfred von Richthofen. He also developed a way to synchronize the propeller with machine guns. He usually worked at his aircraft factory near Berlin, closely watched at all times.