DID YOU KNOWAMELIA EARHART?
By Virginia Mclntyre She never reached her fortieth birthday, but in her brief life, Amelia Earhart became a recordbreaking female aviator whose intemational fame improved public acceptance of aviation and paved the way for other women in commercial flight.After the war, Earhart completed a semester at Columbia University, then the University of Southem Califomia. With her first plane ride in 1920, she realized her true passion and began flying lessons with female aviator Neta Snook.On her twenty-fifth birthday, Earhart purchased a Kinner Airster biplane. She flew it in1922, when she set the women’s altitude record of 14,000 feet. With faltering family finances, she soon sold the plane. When her parents divorced in 1924. Earhart moved with her mother and sister to Massachusetts and became a settlement worker at Dennison House in Boston, while also flying in air shows.Earhart’s life changed dramatically in 1928, when publisher George Putnam-seeking to expand on public enthusiasm for Charles Lindbergh’s Virginia transcontinental flight a year earlier tapped Earhart to become the first woman to cross theAtlantic 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. Putnam remained her promoter, publishing her two books: 20 Hrs. 40 Mins. (1928) and The Fun of It (1932). Earhart married Punam in 1931, though she retained her maiden name and considered the marriage an equal partnership.Earhart’s popularity brought opportunities from a short-lived fashion business to a stint as aviation editor at Cosmopolitan. It also brought financing for subsequent record-breaking flights in speed and distance. 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.In 1935, Purdue University hired Earhart as aviation advisor and career counselor for women and purchased the Lockheed plane she dubbed her flying laboratory.” 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. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Column Community Community News Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Media Military & Veterans Music Peace People Photography Politics Sports Technology DID YOU KNOWAMELIA EARHART? August 5, 2025/ She never reached her fortieth birthday, but in her brief life, Amelia Earhart became a recordbreaking female aviator whose intemational… Read More Positive Outcomes are Worth Remembering September 2, 2024/ Optimism makes hope possible. It’s the essential attitude by which you can turn those proverbial lemons into lemonade. Optimism is… Read More RECEIVING WITH HUMILITY August 26, 2024/ Have you ever felt uncomfortable receiving help or a gift from another person? Did you ever have difficulty asking for… Read More Load More End of Content.
DID YOU KNOWAMELIA EARHART? Read More »
