Amelia Earhart, c. 1928. Image: Wikimedia Commons / Library of Congress. Source.
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Amelia Earhart was born in the United States in 1897. As a young woman, she became interested in aviation at a time when very few women were pilots. She took flying lessons and bought her first aeroplane. In 1928, Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger. She wanted to do more. In 1932, she flew alone across the Atlantic, becoming the first woman to make the solo journey. The flight was difficult because of bad weather and mechanical problems, but she landed safely in Northern Ireland. Earhart became internationally famous and encouraged other women to enter careers that had traditionally been closed to them. In 1937, she attempted to fly around the world with navigator Fred Noonan. They completed most of the journey, but while flying over the central Pacific Ocean their aircraft disappeared near Howland Island. A huge search found no clear evidence of what happened. Earhart and Noonan were never found. The mystery of her final flight continues to attract attention, but her lasting importance comes from the barriers she broke during the early years of aviation.
