Amelia Earhart showed women the world over how to pursue their dreams, and blazed a trail for them to follow into flight.
Born in Kansas in 1897, Amelia enjoyed active pursuits and exploring her environment with her sister in tow. Their childhood was disrupted by the family having to follow her father from place to place for work, then coping with his alcoholism, subsequent joblessness and financial challenge.
Amelia maintained independent aspirations, scrapbooking newspaper articles about women who were succeeding in male-dominated fields such as law, advertising, film production, and engineering. She began attending college in Pennsylvania, but left during World War I to work at a Toronto military hospital. Listening to the stories of military pilots developed her interest in flying.
At the end of 1920, Amelia affirmed her love of flying during a 10-minute passenger flight in California. She started flying lessons days later, and on May 16, 1923, she became the 16th woman in the United States to receive a pilot’s licence.
In 1928, she was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane – as a passenger. This made her a celebrity. She wrote articles and books, and promoted products. In 1932, she became the first woman to fly nonstop across the Atlantic – as the pilot. She set numerous other flying records.
Thirty-nine-year-old Amelia and navigator Fred Noonan set off from Miami in a twin-engine monoplane on June 1, 1937, aiming to circumnavigate the globe. About threequarters of the way through the 40,000-kilometre journey, radio contact with the plane was lost. Despite extensive searches, the plane and its crew have never been found.
Amelia Earhart improved the profile of commercial aviation, and motivated a generation of female aviators, many of whom served as pilots in World War II. She remains a role model and inspiration to women everywhere.
This article was originally published under the title Take to the skies in Issue 33 – Dream a little dream. You can purchase this issue and enjoy more enchanting content here.
