Amelia Earhart was an American pilot and aviation pioneer. As the first woman in the world to accomplish many aviation feats including flying solo across the Atlantic Ocean, she was famous throughout the 1920s and 1930s. She used her fame to promote her other passion – women’s rights. She wanted to change the way the public viewed aviation and she helped create the airline industry we know today. Amelia’s dream of being the first female pilot to fly 29,000 miles across the entire world was realised when she began the journey from Miami, Florida on June 1st, 1937. Unfortunately, her plane went missing on July 2nd, 1937 and neither she, nor her plane, were ever seen again.
AMELIA EARHART – EARLY LIFE
Amelia was born in Atchison, Texas on July 24th, 1897. She also lived in Des Moines, Iowa before attending high school at Central High School in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Earhart family moved throughout these states due to Amelia’s father, Edwin Earhart, being transferred by his employer, or when he needed to secure new work to provide for his family.
The first aircraft Amelia ever saw was a biplane in Des Moines, Iowa at the Iowa State Fair. Although she wasn’t immediately interested in the airplane, it wouldn’t be long before her interest in science led her back to a curiosity about flying. Amelia took her education seriously and after her family moved to Chicago, Illinois she attended Hyde Park High School for its excellent science programs. Throughout high school, Amelia developed her keen interest in women’s rights. For instance, she kept a scrapbook filled with newspaper articles about successful women working in predominantly male-dominated careers, including: law, engineering and management.
After graduating from high school, Amelia travelled to Toronto, Canada to visit her sister. While in Toronto she completed training offered by the Red Cross and she began work as a nurse’s aide after witnessing injured soldiers returning home from World War I.
AMELIA EARHART – PILOT AND AVIATION RECORDS
In December of 1920, Amelia and her dad visited the Long Beach Airport and Amelia rode in a plane flown by pilot Frank Hawks. Amelia stated, “By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly” She was immediately hooked and began saving money to afford the $1,000 needed for flying lessons. Amelia was so determined to take flying lessons that she didn’t mind the fact that she had to take the bus and then walk 4 miles each way to get to the airfield. Her lessons began in January of 1921 and her teacher was a pioneer female pilot named Anita Snook.
By the summer of 1921 Amelia had already purchased her own plane, a used bright yellow biplane she nicknamed ‘The Canary’. On October 22nd, 1922, Earhart flew her plane to an altitude of 14,000 feet, setting a world record for female pilots and she became the 16th woman in the United States to earn a pilot’s license as of May 15th, 1923.
Not long after, Amelia relocated to Massachusetts where she found work as a sales representative for Kinner Aircraft and wrote newspaper articles promoting flying. When her celebrity status started to grow, she began making plans to start an organization that would be devoted entirely to female pilots.
Amelia was the first female passenger in a flight across the Atlantic Ocean, being flown from Newfoundland, Canada to South Wales in June of 1928. The flight took 20 hours and 40 minutes and gained Amelia international fame. Upon landing Amelia famously stated, “maybe someday I’ll try it alone.” Having now cemented her celebrity status as the ‘Queen of the Air,’ Amelia began a speaking tour and published a book after her return to the United States. She also began endorsing and promoting different products, including a clothing line and luggage. These activities allowed her to continue financing her flying, which was her true passion.
The next record Amelia broke was being the first woman to fly alone across North America and back in August of 1928, followed by setting a world record for flying at an altitude of 18,415 feet on April 8th, 1931. All of these records set the stage for her eventual solo-flight across the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, by 1932, Amelia was prepared to attempt the historic flight. She departed from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, Canada on May 20th, 1932 intending to land in Paris, France. She instead landed in Northern Ireland after nearly 15 hours and treacherous flying conditions. However, she was now the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and she would continue setting multiple records over the coming years. She next set her sights on an ‘Around the World’ flight.
AMELIA EARHART – DISAPPEARANCE
In 1936, Amelia began preparing to fly around the world on a route that would be 29,000 miles, with navigator Fred Noonan alongside her. On March 17th, 1937, Amelia, Fred and two others began their journey from Oakland, California and flew to Honolulu, Hawaii. The attempt was abandoned when the airplane required extensive repairs in Hawaii.
Amelia again attempted to fly around the world on June 1st, 1937, departing from Miami, Florida, with only Fred Noonan by her side. By June 29th, 1937 Amelia had stopped in many areas of South America, Africa, India and Southeast Asia. With 7,000 miles remaining in the journey, she and Fred Noonan were in the South Pacific Ocean. In fact, their last flight departed from New Guinea to Howland Island on July 2nd, 1937. Howland Island is an uninhabited coral island just north of the equator in the Pacific Ocean, located roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia. This flight should have taken approximately 20 hours. A United States Coast Guard Cutter called the Itasca was sent to Howland Island to assist Amelia to locate the island by communicating with her via radio transmission. In fact, during her approach to Howland Island, the Itasca received clear transmissions from Amelia, but she was seemingly unable to hear their responses. Radio operators on the Itasca realised they could not tune into the radio frequency used by Amelia’s aircraft.
The Itasca then began a search for the airplane to the north and west of Howland Island, but the plane was never found. The search officially ended on July 19th, 1937 and Amelia and Fred were declared deceased approximately 18 months later. Due to the mysterious nature of her disappearance, an exact date of her death is unknown. There are many theories about where the airplane may have ended up, but none have ever been proven. Some of these theories claim that Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan landed on a deserted island, while others claim they were taken captive by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
AMELIA EARHART – LEGACY
Amelia Earhart created a significant legacy that continues to endure still to this day. For instance, she was a pioneer in the field of aviation and made significant contributions towards the status of women in America. In fact, as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, she broke gender barriers and inspired generations to pursue their dreams regardless of societal limitations. Earhart advocated for women’s rights and encouraged female involvement in traditionally male-dominated fields. Also, her mysterious disappearance during her 1937 attempt to fly around the world has played an important role in her enduring legacy. More specifically, her disappearance has inspired others to study her life and search to solve the mystery. In fact, her life and achievements continue to influence aviation, women’s history, and the pursuit of exploration.
