Amelia Earhart

At the age of 23, Amelia Earhart took a ten-minute plane ride at a 1920 air show that changed her life—she knew she had to learn to fly. Because of her determination, she became a world-famous pilot. She also became a vice president in the airline industry. As a spokeswoman, she wrote and lectured about the time when flying would not be just for a few but would become an accepted part of everyday life.   

Earhart not only was inspirational to pilots, she broke down barriers for women. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. And that was just one of the many records she set throughout her career. Included in her accomplishments was being the first person to fly from Hawaii to California. She became the first person to make solo flights across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. All of these achievements opened opportunities for women in aviation.    

In 1937, Earhart attempted the first around-the-world flight at the equator. While attempting the stretch between New Guinea and Howland Island, a small island in the Pacific, Earhart and her navigator, Frederick Noonan, vanished. They were nearly two-thirds finished with the journey. 

No one ever found their bodies or the ultimate cause of their deaths. Recently, a piece of aluminum found on a small Pacific island called Nikumaroro is believed to match a piece that was used to repair Earhart’s plane.   

Though Earhart died, her legacy of freedom, determination, and living out your dreams has lived on.