Background

Amelia Mary Earhart was born on July 24, 1897,

in Atchison, Kansas. She was the elder of Edwin
Stanton and Amy Otis Earhart's two daughters.
Childhood was not happy for the two bright
sisters. In 1914 her parents separated and she
moved to Chicago with her mother and her
sister.
During the war Amelia worked as a military
nurse in Canada and later she became a social
worker and taught English to immigrant
children.

The Beginning Of It All.
It wasn't until Earhart attended a stunt-flying exhibition that
she became seriously interested in aviation.
"I did not understand it at the time," she said, "but I believe
that little red airplane said something to me as it swished by."

On December 28, 1920, pilot Frank Hawks gave her a ride in a
plane that would forever change her life. "By the time I had got
two or three hundred feet off the ground," she said, "I knew I
had to fly.

She took her first flying lesson on January 3
rd
1921 and in 6
months managed to save enough money to buy her first plane
Until 1928, flying was only a hobby to her. This changed when
Amelia received a call from Captain Hilton H Railey. He asked her
to join pilots Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon on a flight from the
United States to England.
Though Amelia was just a passenger, she became the first woman
to cross the Atlantic.
As the first woman to fly the Atlantic, she won the public's
affection. The press dubbed her "Lady Lindy," a female Charles
Lindbergh.

Further Achievements
On May 20th 1932, she crossed the Atlantic alone and set a new
transatlantic crossing record of 13 hours, 30 minutes. She received
a medal from American President Herbert Hoover for this.
Several years later, she became the first woman to fly from
California to Hawaii, which was a difficult route.
She was the first president of the Ninety Nines in 1931.
In 1930 she broke the womens flying speed record, reaching 181.18
miles per hour.


Her Final Flight
Amelia's last flight began on June 1
st
1937. She and navigator Fred
Noonan set out to fly around the world. The two of them took off
from Miami in America to South America. Then they crossed the
South Atlantic Ocean to Dakar in Africa. From there to Thailand to
Australia.
However, after they left Lae in New Guinea for Howland Island, the
American coast guard lost contact with the plane. On July 2nd
th

they received a final message on at 8:45 am, and Amelia's tone was
described as frantic.
Despite an extensive search, the American Navy never found a
trace of either the plane or the aviators. Their disappearance is
still a mystery.

Today, though many theories exist, there is no proof of her fate.
There is no doubt, however, that the world will always remember
Amelia Earhart for her courage, vision, and ground-breaking
achievements, both in aviation and for women. She added to the
growing list of achievements made by women in her time, proving
that anything a man can do, a woman can too .
In a letter to her husband, written in case a dangerous flight
proved to be her last, her brave spirit was evident. "Please know I
am quite aware of the hazards," she said. "I want to do it because I
want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried.
When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others."
Inspirational Quotes
My ambition is to have this wonderful gift produce practical
results for the future of commercial flying and for the women who
may want to fly tomorrow's planes
Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace
Women should do for themselves what men have already done -
occasionally what men have not done--thereby establishing
themselves as persons, and perhaps encouraging other women
toward greater independence of thought and action
Never do things others can do and will do, if there are things
others cannot do or will not do


THE END