Amelia Earhart biography -
Aviator and Icon

The Amelia Earhart biography is an inspiring tale of reaching for the skies, of reaching beyond the familiar and challenging the status quo. A passionate aviator and female icon, Amelia Earhart symbolizes the spirit of everyone who want to do what society tells them they can't do.

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas at her grandparents home. Her father Edwin Earhart wasn't there as he was trying to establish a law practice and Amy (her mother) had had a miscarriage before, so she tried to settle in to the familiar surroundings of her own parents' home. She also had a sister Muriel who was born two and a half years later.

The girls who went by the nicknames Millie and Pidge were often out adventuring and exploring the world. Though it wasn't all fun and games - Amelia lived with her grandparents till 1908 as the grandparents didn't approve of her father. It wasn't until the family moved to Des Moines, Iowa that Amelia moved with them. It was here in Iowa at the State Fair where she saw her first airplane when she was ten years old, but it didn't make much of an impression on her at that age.

The Amelia Earhart biography was kept interesting as the family situation at home deteriorated when her father lost his job and started to drink heavily. So her mother took Amelia and her sister to live with friends.

She went to train as a nurse in Toronto after seeing some of the casualties of the war in 1917. She worked at the Spadina Military hospital until the armistice in 1918. Her parents had reconciled in California and Amelia joined them there. Her father took her to an air show where Amelia experience a 10 minute flight over Los Angeles and it was this that got her hooked.

She started working and saving money for lessons and signed up with Anita 'Neta' Snook, one of the first female aviators, who was offering flying lessons. Admittedly, she wasn't the best pilot, but that didn't hold her back from setting numerous records. In October 1922, she set the women's altitude record at 14,000 feet, and by May 1923, she earned her pilots license (only the 16th woman to do so).

Her funds that her grandparents had left her were depleted by this stage so she took up a position as a social worker in Boston. Her passion for flying were no less diminished as she kept writing articles promoting flying, became a member of the American Aeronautical Society's Boston chapter, and contributed financing of the Dennison Airport in Quincy Massachusetts.

Her life changed when she got a call from HH Reilly asking whether she was interested in flying across the Atlantic. She met the man who Reilly was working for, George Putnam, and she agreed to be the woman on the flight even though she wouldn't be doing the actual flying (Putnam thought she looked a bit like Charles Lindbergh). On June 18, 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (even if she wasn't doing the flying herself) and became quite the celebrity.

Her fame from this sent her on a whirlwind of lecture tours and sponsorships which allowed the financing of various more aviation record attempts. These records were either for distance flying or speed racing and served to enhance her renown and keep aviation in the front of the public's mind. She also founded the Ninety-Nines, a female pilots organization after the 99 charter members, of which she was the first elected president. Her close relationship with her publisher George Putnam, who accompanied her on her various publicity tours, led to their marriage on February 7, 1931.

Her thirst for setting new challenges for herself, led to the historic trans-Atlantic flight on May 20, 1932. She became the first woman and only the second person to fly solo across the Atlantic. Her route took her from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland (admittedly off course, but she got there). This propelled her fame to new heights and became friends with some of the more powerful people like Eleanor Roosevelt.

This did not detract from her record setting ambitions, however, as she continued setting new targets. She became the first person to successfully fly from Hawaii to California in 1935. And even attempted an around the world series of flights but the first attempt ended with a malfunction in Hawaii.

In 1937 she would try again and set out with navigator, Fred Noonan, on the 29,000 miles journey. In the first 22,000 miles they touched down in South America, Africa, the Middle East, India, the Phillipines and Australia. With only 7,000 miles to go, they only had the Pacific left to cross, but on the fateful day July 2, 1937, taking off from Lea, New Guineau with the destination being Howland Island. They never got there. Whether they crashed at sea or landed somewhere else were never established and it remains part of the Amelia Earhart mystery.

Amelia Earhart has inspired and encourage women to set new challenges for themselves. To know that there is risk in what you are doing, but to still do it because you are passionate about it. In a time when women were still struggling to be recognized, Amelia Earhart proved that women can compete at the same level. The Amelia Earhart biography is the story of a woman who lived life to the full - wherever it might take her.

More Amelia Earhart biography resources

• Amelia Earhart biography at Wikipedia.
• Amelia Earhart biography at Amazon