Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart was born on July 27, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. She and Grace Muriel, her younger sister grew up in their grandfather’s house with their father, and mother where they attended private school. In 1908 her family moved to throughout the midwest because her father was looking for work.

During World War One, Amelia worked as a nurse’s aid for the American Red Cross Association and after, she worked as a social worker in Boston. When her parents moved to California, she found a home in Long Beach and began her flight career. She took up odd jobs to pay for flight school and learned how to fly. Soon after learning how to fly she bought her own plane and broke the record for women's altitude.

The trans-Atlantic flight in 1928 launched Earhart’s career and established her name. She became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She wrote about the flight in a book titled 20 hrs. 40 min. Along with setting a record for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, she also set several other records like the first person to fly solo coast to coast, and the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.

On March 17, 1937 Earhart began her infamous 29,000 mile flight around the equator with a crew of three. According to dailymail.co.uk’s map, Earhart Took off in Oakland, California they headed west toward Honolulu, Hawaii. Taking off in Honolulu the Electra sustained heavy damage. Earhart landed in Burbank, California to repair the Electra. Following the repairs, Earhart flew to Tucson, Arizona. The crew then flew to Miami, Florida. They landed in New Guinea after 22,000 miles into the flight on June 29. On July 2nd the crew took off for the 2,556 mile flight to Howland Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The navigator lost track of the Electra. The navigator and the flight crews searched for the Electra, but it was never found.

No one knows how Amelia Earhart died or why, but there are many theories about her death. Some say that her plane ran out of fuel and crashed landed in the Pacific Ocean. Others say she was captured by the Japanese and held hostage in World War Two. There are even theories that she was abducted by aliens. These theories have never been proven and never will.

For more information on Amelia Earhart visit Atchison Kansas and these websites:kshs.org, ameliaearhartmuseum.org, and ameliaearhart.com.