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Amelia Earhart Facts

Amelia Earhart Facts
Amelia Mary Earhart, the first woman aviator to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo, was born on July 24th, 1897. She was born in Atchison, Kansas, to Samuel Stanton Earhart, a German American, and Amelia Otis Earhart. She had an older sibling that died at birth and a younger sister named Grace Muriel Earhart. Amelia was homeschooled until she was twelve, at which time she started grade seven in public school. Amelia graduated from high school in 1916 and went on to junior college however she did not complete the program. She received nurse's aide training during World War I from the Red Cross and worked in Toronto, Ontario. In 1920 Amelia took a ride in an airplane and her future in aviation began.
Interesting Amelia Earhart Facts:
Amelia was named after her grandmothers Amelia Harres Otis and Mary Wells Earhart.
Amelia's younger sister called her ‘Meelie' because she couldn't pronounce her name when she was young. The nickname stuck.
Amelia was engaged to Sam Chapman but the relationship ended before they could get married.
Amelia's father Samuel (known as Edwin) was a lawyer who worked for the railroad.
Amelia and her sister liked to collect insects and frogs. Amelia was taught how to use a rifle that she often used to kill the rats in the family barn.
Amelia saw one of the Wright brothers fly an airplane when she was eleven years old at the Iowa State Fair.
Amelia's first flying lesson took place on January 3rd, 1921 at Kinner Field near Long Beach.
Amelia bought a leather jacket which was common for aviators. In order to make it look ‘not new' she slept in it for three nights.
On June 17th, 1928 Amelia Earhart left Trepassey Harbor in Newfoundland, Canada aboard the airplane ‘Friendship' with Bill Stultz (pilot) and Slim Gordon (co-pilot). 21 hours later the plane arrived at Burry Port, Wales, United Kingdom.
The flight on June 17th, 1928 cemented Amelia Earhart's place in history as the first female to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1931 Amelia married George Putnam, a book publisher. They met because he was looking for a female pilot to make the flight across the Atlantic on behalf of Mrs. Frederick Guest of London, England.
Amelia Earhart wanted to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She left May 20th, 1932 from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, Canada. Her plane was a single-engine red Lockheed Vega.
On Amelia's first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean she intended to fly to Paris France. Weather was bad and she cut the flight short, landing in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in a cow pasture.
Amelia became the first female to make the solo trip and she was also the second person in history, after Charles Lindbergh, to make the trip solo.
Amelia was the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.
Amelia was the first woman to receive from Congress the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Amelia was the first person to fly solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City in 1935.
Amelia continued to make historic flights until July 22nd, 1937. On that date she took off with Fred Noonan, her navigator, from New Guinea. Their destination was Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean. They were never seen again.


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