Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. As a young woman, working in a Toronto hospital for Canadian servicemen, she would go to the airport to watch the planes take off. World War I was being fought and there was considerable military traffic. She vowed she would learn to fly some day. In 1928, after earning her pilot's license, she was asked to join Wilmer Stultz (pilot) and Lou Gordon (flight mechanic) on a trans-Atlantic flight. Twenty-one hours after take off they landed safely in Europe, making Earhart the first woman to ride in a plane across the Atlantic Ocean.

Her name became a household word in 1932 when she became the first woman, and second person, to fly solo across the Atlantic, on the fifth anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's feat, flying from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Ireland. That year, she received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French Government, and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from President Hoover.

In 1935, she became the first woman to fly the Pacific Ocean, when she made the crossing from Hawaii to California.
Earhart’s final adventure would be a flight around the Earth at the equator, something no one had ever attempted. For this trip, she asked Fred Noonan to join her as navigator. In June of 1937 they set out and after 30 days, Earhart and Noonan had nearly completed their circumnavigation of the Earth. With only 2 days of travel remaining, they missed a scheduled refueling stop at tiny Howland Island in the Pacific. Ships and planes from all over the area began an exhaustive search, but no trace was ever found.

Aviation was quite a new concept and the industry looked for ways of improving its image. Earhart was appointed Assistant to the General Traffic Manager at Transcontinental Air Transport (later known as TWA) with a special responsibility of attracting women passengers. She organized a cross-country air race for women pilots in 1929, the Los Angeles to Cleveland Women's Air Derby.

The "Ninety-Nines", a now famous women pilot’s organization, was formed by Earhart in her hotel room in Cleveland during a meeting with other women pilots. Charter membership included 99 applicants. She was to serve as its first President. Earhart was an inspiration to all, with her endless effort and courageous spirit. She was a truly remarkable person that paved the way for many women pilots.

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