Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart, born on July 24, 1897, was an American author and aviation pioneer. Earhart made history as the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. She broke numerous more records, was one of the first aviators to promote commercial flights, wrote best-selling books about her flying adventures, and was a driving force behind the founding of The Ninety-Nines, a female pilots’ group. Today, we honor her and her achievements.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Amelia Mary Earhart

Nickname:

Lady Lindy, Meely, Millie

Birth date:

July 24, 1897

Death date:

January 5, 1939 (age 41)

Zodiac Sign:

Leo

Height:

5' 7"

Net Worth:

$7 million

Amelia's Social Media:

Background

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. Her father, Edwin, worked for the railroad as a lawyer. Muriel, her younger sister, was her constant companion throughout her childhood. Earhart and her sister had many adventures as children. Insects and frogs were collected. Baseball and football were two of their favorite sports. Earhart even learned to shoot a 22 caliber rifle, which she used to hunt rats in her father’s barn. She took her first “flight” when she was just seven years old. She built a homemade roller coaster with the help of Muriel and her uncle. She informed her sister that it “felt like flying” after the catastrophic collision. She observed one of the Wright Brothers’ first airplanes at the Iowa State Fair when she was 11 years old, in 1908. She had little interest in flying and didn’t think much of the plane at the time. Earhart had no idea what she wanted to pursue after graduating from high school. She began her education at the Ogontz School in Pennsylvania but dropped out to work as a nurse’s aide, caring for wounded World War I troops. She went on to study to become a mechanic but she quickly returned to school to pursue a career in medicine. She eventually decided to pursue a career in medical research. That is until she flew for the first time.

Earhart and her father went to a California air show on December 28, 1920. That day, She took her maiden plane journey. “I knew I had to fly” as soon as the plane was a few hundred feet off the ground, she subsequently recounted. Earhart worked hard and was able to pay for flying lessons with the help of her mother’s money. She eventually bought her plane. She was invited to participate in a historic trip across the Atlantic in 1928. She flew across the Atlantic Ocean in the airplane Friendship with pilot Bill Stultz and co-pilot Slim Gordon. She was the flight’s navigator.

The plane landed in Wales on June 18, 1928, following a 21-hour flight. She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart was greeted as a hero when she returned to the United States. In New York City, she was honored with a ticker-tape procession and she even saw President Calvin Coolidge at the White House. However, she was dissatisfied. She intended to take the same voyage across the Atlantic as before but this time she wanted to fly the jet herself. She took off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, on May 20, 1932, in a bright red single-engine Lockheed Vega plane. She planned to fly to Paris, France, on the same flight that Charles Lindbergh had taken five years ago. The flying was extremely hazardous. There was a lot of severe weather, dense clouds, and ice on her windshield and wings. She had crossed the Atlantic Ocean 14 hours earlier but had to cut her voyage short, landing on a cow farm near Londonderry, Northern Ireland. After Lindbergh, Earhart became only the second person to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. She received numerous honors, including the ‘Distinguished Flying Cross’ from Congress — she was the first woman to receive it. Over the next few years, Earhart continued to fly. She set numerous records, including the first solo flight from Hawaii to California.

On November 23, 1928, Earhart called off her engagement to Samuel Chapman, a chemical engineer from Boston. Earhart and publisher George P. Putnam had spent a lot of time together around the same time. In 1929, Putnam, also known as G.P., divorced and went on the hunt for Earhart, proposing to her six times before she ultimately agreed to marry him. They married in Putnam’s mother’s house in Noank, Connecticut, on February 7, 1931. Earhart referred to her marriage as a “dual control partnership.” Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, took off from Miami, Florida on June 1, 1937. They took several flights across Africa and Asia, eventually arriving in New Guinea in the South Pacific. They left New Guinea on July 2 to fly to Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean, but they were never seen again. For several weeks, the U.S. government looked for Earhart and her plane but was unable to locate them. There have been many speculations as to what happened on the journey but no one knows for sure, and her plane has never been discovered.

Career timeline

1921
She Buys Her First Plane

Earhart buys her first plane, the Kinner Airster (dubbed The Canary).

1928
An Important Accomplishment

Earhart makes history by being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.

1931
A New Record

With an altitude of 18,415 feet, Earhart achieves the female autogiro altitude record (in a Pitcairn autogiro).

1935
First Person to Solo Across the Pacific

She is the first person to fly alone across the Pacific from Honolulu to Oakland, California, covering 2,408 miles.

Why We Love Amelia Earhart

  1. She is very inspirational

    Earhart is a woman who has encouraged many others to pursue their passions. We admire her because she is brave, strong, and exceptional. She was fearless, and she paid no attention to what others had to say about her desire to fly.

  2. She was extraordinary

    She was an inspiration to a lot of ladies who wanted to fly. Earhart had a huge impact on the lives of so many individuals. She demonstrated that women were capable of far more than they were at the time and went against what was expected of women at the time.

  3. She was willing to help others

    Earhart mentored and trained other women who, like her, had developed an interest in aviation. She was always willing to share information about aviation with other women.

5 Surprising Facts

  1. She was once a nurse’s aid

    Earhart worked as a nurse's aide in Toronto, Canada, during World War I, tending to wounded soldiers.

  2. She was a clothing designer

    She created flying attire for the Ninety-Nines in 1932, which was marketed in “Vogue.”

  3. She didn’t like coffee or tea

    She didn't drink coffee or tea and, instead, relied on smelling salts in a bottle to keep her awake on long flights.

  4. She didn’t enjoy wearing goggles

    She was said to despise wearing goggles and would only put them on at the end of the runway and remove them as soon as she touched down.

  5. ‘Lady Lindy’

    After her first voyage across the Atlantic, Amelia became known as ‘Lady Lindy,’ although she called herself A.E.

Amelia Earhart FAQs

What were Amelia Earhart’s last words?

On July 2, 1937, at 8:43 a.m., the last confirmed words from Earhart were, “We’re moving north and south on line 157-337.”

Did Amelia Earhart ever have kids?

No, she never had kids of her own but she had two step-kids.

What was Amelia Earhart’s favorite drink?

She has stated that her favorite “working beverage” was tomato juice.

Amelia Earhart’s birthday dates

YearDateDay
2024July 24Wednesday
2025July 24Thursday
2026July 24Friday
2027July 24Saturday
2028July 24Monday

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