Why is Amelia Earhart so famous among pilots?

Amelia Mary Earhart, born July 24, 1897 and disappeared July 2, 1937. She was the first female to cross the Atlantic Ocean in June 1928. She was also the first female to cross the Atlantic Ocean alone in May 1932. Amelia was one of the first women to be issued a pilot's licence in the United States.

Amelia Mary Earhart was also famous for being one of the early supporters of equal rights for women. She was a member of the National Woman's Party. She was greatly involved in the formation of The Ninety-Nines which is an organization for female pilots. Amelia is known for her numerous best selling books. Till the time of her disappearance, Amelia was a strong force in the aviation industry.

Amelia Earhart is known worldwide for being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (June 1928) and then the first women to do so alone (May 1932). She had first broken the women’s altitude record in October 1922, and in 1929 was influential in establishing separate altitude, speed and endurance records for women.

There were other famous women pilots but Earhart’s husband, George Palmer Putnam, was an influential American book publisher who ensured her fame through arranging flying and speaking tours. Earhart was a tall, but slight, attractive women with a winning smile. Her passion for equality will have added impact to her professional appearances.

For her solo Atlantic flight in 1932 she was awarded National Geographic Society’s gold medal from President Herbert Hoover; Congress awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross.

However, her fame does not rest upon those fantastic achievements alone. Her books about her experiences as a pilot uplifted and excited her readers, and she consistently and deliberately raised awareness in the population that women could achieve as well as men. This dictum was even included in her last letter to her husband as she contemplated the great danger of attempting to fly around the world in 1935.

Although, sadly, Earhart did not achieve this, immense international interest followed the extensive, and expensive, search for her plane which was never found.

There was further worldwide excitement in 1945 over the mystery of whether bones found on Nikumaroro Island, an uninhabited Pacific coral atoll, could be hers.

A scientific paper by a doctor who examined the bones sparked forensic controversy. Public attention was more fascinated by the bones’ subsequent disappearance. Dr Hoodless’ notes and measurements are all that remain.

There are many awards under the Earhart name for encouraging girls into traditionally male careers. The initial ‘firsts’, the raising of women’s profile, the drama of the plane’s disappearance, the mystery of the skeleton and the ongoing awards all ensure that this attractive, skilled and brave woman will always be remembered.