Biography

Amelia Mary Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. During World War I, she left college to work at a Canadian military hospital, where she met aviators and became intrigued with flying. With her first plane ride in 1920, she realized her true passion and began flying lessons with female aviator Neta Snook. In 1922, she set the women’s altitude record of 14,000 feet. 

Earhart’s life changed dramatically in 1928, when publisher George Putnam—seeking to expand on public enthusiasm for Charles Lindbergh’s transcontinental flight a year earlier—tapped Earhart to become the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane. She succeeded, albeit, as a passenger. But when the flight from Newfoundland landed in Wales on June 17, 1928, Earhart became a media sensation and symbol of what women could achieve.

In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic—as a pilot. Her awards included the American Distinguished Flying Cross and the Cross of the French Legion of Honor. In 1929, Earhart helped found the Ninety-Nines, an organization of female aviators.

On June 1, 1937, she left Miami with navigator Fred Noonan, seeking to become the first woman to fly around the world. With 7,000 miles remaining, the plane lost radio contact near the Howland Islands. It was never found, despite an extensive search that continued for decades.

“Biography: Amelia Earhart.” National Women’s History Museum, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/amelia-earhart. Accessed 6 Mar. 2024.