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 Amelia
Earhart
The
First Woman to Fly Solo
Across the Atlantic
Amelia Earhart was born
July 24, 1898 in Atchison, Kansas. She was a
lively tomboy throughout her childhood and
unlike most American women in her generation and
generations before, she never outgrew this
trait. She volunteered in a Red Cross Hospital
during World War I, taught English to immigrant
factory workers, and studied pre-med for a short
time. But airplanes were her first love.
Amelia loved excitement.
Impressed with stunt fliers and air shows,
Amelia learned to fly and became a licensed
pilot, making her first solo flight in 1921.
Soon she saved enough money to buy her own
plane.
In 1928, Amelia was asked
to be a part of a team of pilots that were to
make a transatlantic flight. She accepted and
became the first woman to fly across the
Atlantic Ocean. She was hallowed by the press
and dubbed “Lady Lindy”, winning public
affection. But Amelia was not satisfied with
this. Because of her adventurous spirit and love
for the spotlight, Amelia became determined to
perfect her flying skills, making plans to fly
the ocean on her own. This she did on May 20,
1932. Amelia achieved a number of flight
“firsts”. She was the first woman pilot to fly
the Pacific Ocean and the first woman to make a
transcontinental flight in an autogyro, the
predecessor of the helicopter, which was still
in it's developmental stage. But while
attempting to fly around the world in 1937,
Amelia’s plane vanished and she was presumed
lost at sea. She was 39 years old.
Amelia Earhart was a woman of great
courage. She chose to loose herself from the
conventional roles of women in her generation
and follow her heart, doing what she loved best
- flying.
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