"PLEASE KNOW I AM QUITE AWARE OF THE HAZARDS"
A rambunctious Kansas girl took to the sky and soared above the rest. Her story has become legend due to its sad, mysterious ending. Amelia Earhart should be remembered as a true pioneer - showing the world that flying would become a common way to travel. Along the way she challenged gender roles, encouraged women to challenge themselves, and became a style icon. Amelia Earhart will never be forgotten.
Born July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas, Amelia Mary Earhart was raised to never be a girly girl. Her mother, also Amelia, encouraged Earhart and her sister Grace to wear bloomers instead of dresses. The sisters loved the outdoors and trouped around Atchison with a gang of kids getting dirty climbing trees. Amelia's father, an alcoholic, had trouble holding down a job. He moved the family to Des Moines, Iowa. It was there in 1907 Amelia saw an airplane for the first time. She was, however, too afraid to fly.
Amelia graduated high school in 1916. She trained as a nurse's aide for the Red Cross. She spoke to recuperating pilots to learn about flying. She got Spanish Flu during this time and suffered chronic sinus issues as a lingering side effect. She convalesced at her sister Grace's home in Massachusetts, where she read poetry, played banjo, and studied mechanics. Amelia entered Smith college in 1919, but transferrd to Columbia University. But one year in she quit and moved to live with her parents in California.
In 1920 Amelia attended an arial meet with her father. She paid $10 for a 10-minute flight. Before she landed she knew her future was flying. 12 flying lessons cost $500. Amelia worked as a photographer, a stenographer, even a truck driver to raise money for flight lessons, saving $1,000. She cut her hair short and took to wearing trousers, boots, and leather jackets. She bought a plane she named The Yellow Canary, but sold it when her funds ran out. She worked as a social worker and teacher. But despite no longer owning her own plane, she never stopped flying.
Early female aviator Amy Guest sponsored a female flyer to be the first woman to fly across North America. Earhart did so first as a passenger. Because of this she became "Queen of the Air." She had celebrity status. Amelia gave lectures and endorsed products like luggage, Lucky Strike cigarettes, and women's clothing. She donated money to Richard Byrd's South Pole expedition. Her endorsements financed her flying. Amelia was given a guest editorship at Cosmopolitan magazine. She used the job to remote aviation - and women aviators - as the wave of the future.
In August 1928 Earhart flew solo across North America and back, the first woman ever to do so. She competed in air races against both men and women, and set several speed and distance records. She married George Putman (of Putman publishing fame.) Putnam was her hype man, making sure Amelia's name appeared in print over other lady pilots. She formed the Ninety-Nines, an association of women flyers. On May 20, 1932 she flew the same path as Charles Lindbergh. She flew for 14 hours, but landed in a farmer's field outside of Derry, Ireland. Even though she missed Paris by thousands of miles, Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean, the first woman to accomplish that feat. Her celebrity profile rose ; Amelia Earhart became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt and took the first lady for a flight in her plane.
In 1937 Amelia Earhart set out to be the first woman to fly around the world. She and navigator Fred Noonan left Miami on June 1st. On June 29th they landed in New Guinea with 7,000 miles to go. Inaccurate maps made for difficult navigation. Earhart communicated with the Coast Guard Cutter ITASCA. On July 2nd Earhart flew into rainy skies and asked ITASCA to help her with her bearings. ITASCA received no further communication from Earhart. The U. S. government spent $4 million on a two week land and sea search for her plane, but called off their investigation. Earhart never achieved her goal but was brave to the end. She wrote in a letter to Putnam :
“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.” {1}
SOURCES :
Amelia Earhart.com {1}
Frey, Holly / Wilson, Tracy V., hosts. "The Amelia Earhart Mystery." Stuff You Missed In History Class, iheartradio, 29 June 2009.
Graham, Beckett / Vollenweider, Susan, hosts. "Amelia Earhart." The History Chicks, Episode 39, Wondery, 11 July 2013.
O'Brien, Lisa Powell, Host. "George Palmer Putnam." Significant Others. Team Coco, 28 February 2024.
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