Amelia Earhart
Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. More
She received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for this record. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots. Earhart joined the faculty of the Purdue University aviation department in 1935 as a visiting faculty member to counsel women on careers and help inspire others with her love for aviation. She was also a member of the National Woman's Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.
During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day.
Amelia Earhart timeline
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Amelia Earhart is born
Amelia Mary Earhart, daughter of Samuel "Edwin" Stanton Earhart (March 28, 1867) and Amelia "Amy" Otis Earhart (1869–1962), was born in Atchison,... Read more
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Amelia Earhart experiences her first flight with Frank Hawks
By 1919 Earhart prepared to enter Smith College but changed her mind and enrolled at Columbia University signing up for a course in medical studies... Read more
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Amelia Earhart takes first flying lesson
Earhart had her first lessons, beginning on January 3, 1921, at Kinner Field near Long Beach but to reach the airfield Amelia took a bus to the end... Read more
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Amelia Earhart buys her first plane
She hired Neta Snook, the first woman instructor to graduate from the Curtiss School of Aviation, to teach her. She paid for the first lessons by... Read more
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Amelia Earhart sets altitude record for female pilots
On October 22, 1922, Earhart flew the Airster to an altitude of 14,000 feet (4,300 m), setting a world record for female pilots. On May 15, 1923,... Read more
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Amelia Earhart becomes first woman to fly across the Atlantic
After Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, Amy Phipps Guest, (1873–1959), expressed interest in being the first woman to... Read more
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First Women's Air Derby, Powder Puff Derby
Earhart subsequently made her first attempt at competitive air racing in 1929 during the first Santa Monica-to-Cleveland Women's Air Derby (later... Read more
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Amelia Earhart marries George Putnam
For a while she was engaged to Samuel Chapman, a chemical engineer from Boston, breaking off her engagement on November 23, 1928. During the same... Read more
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Amelia Earhart Becomes First Woman to Fly Solo across the Atlantic
On May 20-21, 1932, Earhart accomplished her goal of flying solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She took off from Newfoundland, Canada, at 7:12 p.m. on... Read more
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Amelia Earhart Becomes the First Woman to Fly Solo from Coast-to-Coast
On August 24-25, 1932, she flew from Los Angeles, California, to Newark, New Jersey, in a record 19 hours, 5 minutes, flying a Lockheed Vega, also... Read more
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Amelia Earhart is first woman in Bendix Trophy Race
Earhart again participated in long-distance air racing, placing fifth in the 1935 Bendix Trophy Race, the best result she could manage considering... Read more
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Amelia Earhart becomes first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California
On January 11, 1935, Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. Although this transoceanic flight... Read more
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Amelia Earhart becomes first person to fly solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City
That year, once more flying her faithful Vega which she had tagged "old Bessie, the fire horse," Earhart soloed from Los Angeles to Mexico City on... Read more
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Amelia Earhart's first attempt to fly around the world
On St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1937, they flew the first leg from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii. In addition to Earhart and Noonan,... Read more
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Amelia Earhart's second attempt to fly around the world begins
While the Electra was being repaired Earhart and Putnam secured additional funds and prepared for a second attempt. This time flying west to east,... Read more
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Amelia Earhart disappears near Howland Island
On July 2, 1937 (midnight GMT) Earhart and Noonan took off from Lae in the heavily loaded Electra. Their intended destination was Howland Island, a... Read more
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Search for Amelia Earhart is called off
Beginning approximately one hour after Earhart's last recorded message, the USCG Itasca undertook an ultimately unsuccessful search north and west... Read more
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USNS Amelia Earhart is Launched
USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE-6), a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for noted American... Read more