Amelia Earhart Pics

Amelia

Earhart

Mary

Atcheson, Kansas

Leo

02 July 1937

over the Pacific somewhere between Lae, New Guinea, and Howland Island

presumed dead in plane crash at sea

White

American

Female

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Amelia Mary Earhart (born July 24, 1897; missing July 2, 1937, declared legally dead January 5, 1939) was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. 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 world-famous 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.

Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer, and author. In 1928 Earhart accepted an offer to join the crew of a flight across the Atlantic. The flight was the scheme of George Palmer Putnam, editor of WE, Charles Lindbergh`s book about how he became, in 1927, the first person to fly across the Atlantic alone. She got a nickname "Lady Lindy" for here physical resemblance to Lindberg. Along with pilot Wilmer Stultz and mechanic Louis Gordon, she crossed the Atlantic (from Newfoundland to Wales) on June 18-19, 1928. Earhart became world-renowned as "the first woman to fly the Atlantic." In 1931, Amelia married George, but continued her aviation career under her maiden name. Amelia and George formed a successful partnership. George organized Amelia`s flights and public appearances, and arranged for her to endorse a line of flight luggage and sports clothes. George also published two of her books, The Fun of It , and Last Flight . Resenting reports that she was largely a puppet figure created by her publicist husband and something less than a competent aviator, she piloted a tiny, single-engine Lockheed Electra from Newfoundland to Ireland to become - on May 20-21, 1932, and five years after Lindbergh - the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. During the scarcely more than five years remaining in her life, Earhart acted as a tireless advocate for commercial aviation and for women`s rights. The numerous flying records she amassed included: • 1931: Altitude record in an autogiro • First person to fly an autogiro across the United States and back • 1932: Fastest non-stop transcontinental flight by a woman • 1933: Breaks her own transcontinental speed record • 1935: First person to fly solo across the Pacific from Hawaii to California • First person to fly solo from Los Angeles to Mexico Breaks speed record for non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey 1937: Sets speed record for east-west crossing from Oakland to Honolulu Honors and awards she received included the Distinguished Flying Cross; Cross of the Knight of the Legion of Honor, from the French Government; Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society; and the Harmon Trophy as America`s outstanding airwoman in 1932, 1933, 1934, and 1935. On July 2, 1937, 22 days before her 40th birthday and having already completed 22,000 miles of an attempt to circumnavigate the earth, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared over the Pacific somewhere between Lae, New Guinea, and Howland Island. A rescue attempt commenced immediately and became the most extensive air and sea search in naval history thus far. On July 19, after spending $4 million and scouring 250,000 square miles of ocean, the United States government reluctantly called off the operation. In 1938, a lighthouse was constructed on Howland Island in her memory. In 1939, George authored Amelia`s biography, entitled Soaring Wings , as a tribute to his beloved wife. The circumstances of Earhart`s "popping off" (her matter-of-fact phrase) have been a source of speculation ever since. Was she on a spy mission for Franklin Roosevelt? Did she land on a desert island and become a Japanese prisoner? The weight of evidence suggests that her plane ran out of fuel somewhere near Howland Island and sank quickly. But given the aviator`s hold on the popular imagination, the search for Amelia Earhart continues.

www.answers.com/topic/amelia-earhart

Hyde Park School, Chicago, 1915, Ogontz School, Philadelphia, 1916

Columbia University

www.ameliaearhart.com

Amelia Mary Earhart

1897-07-24

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