Amelia Earhart

n May 1932, Amelia Earhart landed her Lockheed Vega in a cow pasture in Ballyarnett, Northern Ireland. When a local farmer asked, “Have you flown far?” the 34-year-old pilot replied, “From America.” In fact, she had just become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Earhart’s historic flight made her an international celebrity. She received many honors, including the Distinguished Flying Cross from the United States Congress, and became friends with many notable figures of the era, including First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Her story, however, ended in tragedy just five years later, when Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared while attempting to complete a circumnavigational flight of the globe. The famed pilot’s disappearance — and the ongoing mystery surrounding it — has often overshadowed her other achievements. Earhart was a true pioneer of aviation: She was one of the first aviators to promote commercial air travel; fundamental in the formation of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization for female pilots; and an erudite author whose books about her flying experiences became bestsellers. She also became a feminist icon, although she didn’t see herself as such. “I cannot claim to be a feminist,” she once told a friend, “but do rather enjoy seeing women tackling all kinds of new problems.” Earhart was and remains an inspiration, for her bravery and determination, her modern outlook on life, and her shining personality. As Walter J. Boyne, the former director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, once wrote, “Amelia Earhart came perhaps before her time… the smiling, confident, capable, yet compassionate human being, is one of which we can all be proud.” Through her writing and numerous interviews, Earhart left us with many inspirational words, on everything from the joy of flying to the empowerment of women, to the simple beauty of living.