Amelia Earhart - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society Amelia Earhart Aviatrix. Born: July 24, 1897, Atchison, Kansas. Married: George Palmer Putnam, February 7, 1931. Died: July 1937. Amelia Mary Earhart was born July 24, 1897, in Atchison, to Samuel "Edwin" Stanton and Amelia (Otis) Earhart. She and her younger sister, Grace Muriel, lived in the home of their grandfather, Alfred Otis, and attended a private school. Earhart was inspired to create a home version of the roller coaster she saw at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. The car and passenger tipped over at the edge of the roof but she said it was "just like flying." In 1908 the family moved to Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois, as her father searched for work. During World War I Earhart worked as a nurse’s aide with the Red Cross and after the war as a social worker in Boston.

When her parents relocated to California, she moved to Long Beach and there in 1921 began flying lessons with Neta Snook. She soon bought an airplane and the following year broke the women's altitude record. The 1928 trans-Atlantic flight of the Fokker Friendship launched Earhart's career and established her name. As a passenger on the flight, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and wrote of her experience in 20 Hrs. 40 Min., published by George Palmer Putnam . Earhart and Putnam married February 7, 1931. Earhart set a record flying solo across the Atlantic in her Lockheed Vega. She flew the 14-hour, 56-minute flight from Newfoundland to Ireland in May 1932. That year Earhart was elected president of the Ninety-Nines, an organization of women pilots. She set more records—the first woman to fly solo nonstop coast to coast and the first person to solo over the Pacific from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California. On public speaking tours, Earhart encouraged women to follow their dreams. She accepted an appointment at Purdue University, which helped finance her .

On March 17, 1937, she began her 29,000-mile flight around the equator with a crew of three—Fred Noonan, Harry Manning, and Paul Mantz. Departing from Oakland, California, the flight headed west to Hawaii. Earhart had difficulty during takeoff in Honolulu and the Electra sustained heavy damage. Following repairs, Earhart and Noonan departed from Miami, Florida, on June 1 and headed east. At approximately 22,000 miles into the flight, they landed June 29 in Lae, New Guinea. On July 2 they departed for their 2,556-mile flight to tiny Howland Island in the middle of the Pacific. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter, Itasca, was assigned to track the plane during this leg of the flight. The Electra's last transmission was received by the Itasca at 8:43 a.m. A large search effort was begun to find the lost Electra. Earhart and Noonan were never found, and their disappearance remains a mystery to this day. View primary sources related to Amelia Earhart in Kansas Memory.

Inducted into the Kansas Walk of Honor in 2012. Entry: Earhart, Amelia Author: Kansas Historical Society Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history. Date Created: August 2002 The author of this article is solely responsible for its content. Kansas Memory Our online collections contain more than 500,000 images of photos, documents, and artifacts, which grows daily. Find your story in Kansas through this rich resource! Timeline . Amelia Earhart . American Experience . WGBH | PBS Other Timelines July 24, 1897: A 20th Century Childhood Amelia Mary Earhart is born in Atchison, Kansas, to parents Amy Otis and Edwin Stanton Earhart. Her sister, Muriel, is born two years later. Amelia lives primarily with her maternal grandparents in Atchison during the school year and spends summers with her parents in Kansas City. Despite her grandmother?s disapproval, Amelia spends her free time roaming the outdoors — riding imaginary horses, climbing trees, sledding, and hunting. 1908 Amelia rejoins her parents in Des Moines, Iowa.

She sees an airplane for the first time at the Iowa State Fair and later recalls being unimpressed — “It was a thing of rusty wire and wood and looked not at all interesting.” It was not until a decade later, at a stunt-flying exhibition, that Amelia's passion for flight is awakened. 1910-1915 These are turbulent, difficult years for Amelia and her family. Amelia's grandmother, who raised her, dies in 1911. Her father struggles with alcoholism, losing his job and checking into a sanatorium for a month to rehabilitate himself. The family moves to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1913. When Edwin is again unable to recover and find a job, Amy leaves him and moves with Amelia and Muriel to Chicago. June 1916: Amelia's Education Amelia graduates from Hyde Park High School in Chicago. She excels in science, only enrolling at Hyde Park after determining that it had the best science program in the area. However, she has trouble making friends — her yearbook caption reads, “A.E.

— the girl in brown who walks alone.” Fall 1916-1918 Amelia attends the Ogontz School, an exclusive finishing school outside of Philadelphia. She again excels in her studies and becomes Vice President of her class. She does not graduate, however, choosing instead to volunteer at Toronto's Spadina Military Hospital as a nurse for wounded World War I soldiers. While in Toronto, she attends a flying exposition with a friend. A stunt pilot dives at Amelia and her friend — “I am sure he said to himself, “watch me make them scamper,"“ Amelia later recalled — but Amelia stands her ground. She points to this incident as a personal awakening — “I did not understand it at the time, but I believe that little red airplane said something to me as it swished by.” Fall 1919-1920 Amelia enters the pre-med program at Columbia University but after a year decides to leave to join her parents, who have reunited in Los Angeles. December 28, 1920: Hooked on Flying Amelia attends an air show on Long Beach with her father. With pilot Frank Hawk, she takes her first ride in an airplane.

“By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly,” she later recalled. Library of Congress Amelia Earhart as a young aviatrix in the 1920s. January 3, 1921 Amelia has her first flying lesson with pilot Neta Snook. She works a variety of jobs — truck driver, photographer, stenographer — to save money for these lessons, and six months later is able to purchase her first airplane, a yellow Kinner Airster biplane she names the Canary . December 15, 1921 Amelia passes her flying license tests given by the National Aeronautic Association. She flies in the Pacific Coast Ladies' Derby in Pasadena two days later. October 22, 1922 Amelia sets an unofficial altitude record for female pilots after flying the Canary to 14,000 feet. May 16, 1923 Amelia is issued an international pilot's license by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI ), becoming the 16th woman ever to achieve this.

1924: Hiatus from Aviation Amelia's parents divorce, and Amelia drives with her mother from California to Massachusetts where they move in with sister Muriel. Amelia goes to New York briefly to reenroll at Columbia, but she soon moves back to Boston where she works first as a teacher and then as a social worker at Denison House, teaching English to Syrian and Chinese immigrants. 1927 Amelia joins the Boston chapter of the National Aeronautic Association, and is occasionally featured in newspapers as an advocate for aviation and female pilots. Library of Congress Amelia Earhart, c. 1928 June 17-18, 1928: Overnight Stardom Amelia Earhart, pilot Wilmer Stultz, and co-pilot and mechanic Louis Gordon depart from Newfoundland in the Friendship , a tri-motor seaplane. They arrive in Wales over 20 hours later and are greeted by cheering crowds. Amelia does not think she deserves any acclaim for being the first woman passenger on a trans-Atlantic flight — “Stultz did all the flying — had to.

I was just baggage, like a sack of potatoes.” She adds, “Maybe someday I'll try it alone.” Summer 1928 Amelia's book about the Friendship flight, 20 Hrs. 40 Min. , is published. Amelia teams up with publicist George Putnam to write it, and he quickly promotes her to celebrity status. Amelia goes on a national book tour, endorses products like Lucky Strike cigarettes and Modernaire Earhart Luggage, and becomes known as “Lady Lindy” because of her resemblance to Charles Lindbergh. She also becomes Aviation Editor for Cosmopolitan magazine. August 1929: Taking the Initiative Amelia buys another airplane, a single engine Lockheed Vega. In the Vega, she participates in the Women's Air Derby race from Santa Monica to Cleveland, coming in third place. November 2, 1929 Amelia helps found The Ninety-Nines, Inc., the first organization for women aviators. She will become its first president in 1931 and holds that position for two years, during which time she also uses her celebrity status to promote the growth of American commercial airlines.

July 5, 1930 Amelia sets the women's world flying speed record of 181.18 miles per hour. Between 1930 and 1935, Amelia will set seven women's speed and distance records. February 7, 1931 Amelia Earhart marries George Palmer Putnam. Wary of the institution of marriage, Amelia refused George's proposals six times before she agrees. She will emphasize that her marriage is a “partnership” with “dual control.” 1932 Amelia with New York City mayor James Walker May 20-21, 1932: The Record Setter Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She departs from Newfoundland and lands in a pasture in Northern Ireland. This act earns her the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, the Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor from the French government, and the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society from President Hoover, becoming the first woman to ever receive this prestigious award. The site of her landing in Ireland now has a small museum, the Amelia Earhart Centre.

August 24-25, 1932 Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the North American continent and back. 1933 Amelia visits the White House. From this visit she develops a friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt . Amelia flies across North America for the second time, breaking her own record with a faster flight time. 1934 Amelia receives the Harmon Trophy for America's Outstanding Airwoman for the third year in a row. January 11, 1935 Amelia is the first person to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. This year she will also fly solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City (April 19-20) and later from Mexico City to New York (May 8). In between flights she works as a career counselor to women at Purdue University.

July 1936: The Round-the-World Flight Purdue University finances a new plane for Amelia, a Lockhead Electra 10E which she calls the “Flying Laboratory,” though the plane was purchase less for scientific research and more for Amelia's new dream: a “prize - one flight which I most wanted to attempt - a circumnavigation of the globe as near its waistline as could be.” Amelia and her husband George Putnam plan for her world flight, raising money and consulting with advisers, mechanics, and navigators. March 17, 1937 Amelia and her navigator, Fred Noonan, along with Captain Harry Manning and stunt pilot Paul Mantz, fly the first leg of the trip from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii in 15 hours and 47 minutes. When they try to continue from Honolulu three days later, the plane ground-loops during take-off and they have to call off the flight. June 1, 1937 Amelia departs on a second attempt, this time departing from Miami, Florida with the plan of traveling from west to east. Fred Noonan is her only crew member on this second flight.

They complete nearly 22,000 miles of the flight, stopping in South America, Africa, India, and Lae, New Guinea. Courtesy of Seaver Center for Western History Research Amelia Earhart July 2, 1937 Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan depart from Lae. Their destination is Howland Island, a tiny island in the Pacific only 13,200 feet long and 2,650 feet wide. Amelia and Noonan cannot find the island, however, and they lose radio contact with the Coast Guard cutter Itasca , who can hear that they are lost but cannot return communication. They disappear over the Pacific Ocean. President Roosevelt issues a massive search for Amelia and Noonan, and George Putnam finances his own search until October 1937, but their efforts are unsuccessful. January 5, 1939 Amelia Earhart Blog Amelia Earhart Amelia Earhart was perhaps the most famous female aviator in American history, setting speed and distance records not only for female, but also male pilots. She was initially unimpressed with airplanes, until given a ride by pilot Frank Hawks on December 28, 1920.

She said later, ï¿½By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly." Amelia Mary Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, to Edwin and Amy Earhart. Amelia's sister, Muriel (Pidge), was born two and a half years later and would remain a close friend of Amelia's (Millie) throughout her life. Amelia's grandfather, retired U.S. District Court Judge Alfred Otis, was one of the leading citizens of Atchison, Kansas . Otis felt that his son in law, Edwin, an attorney, failed to measure up to his standards of providing social status and a large income for his family. Earhart was plagued by that disapproval during his marriage to Amy, and it would later play a part in the Earhart family's disintegration. The legacy of disapproval and doubt would follow Amelia from her childhood tomboy years through her flying career. Amelia defied the conventional little girl behavior of the time by climbing trees, ï¿½belly-slamming" her sled to start it downhill, and by hunting rats with a .22 rifle.

She also kept a scrapbook filled with newspaper clippings of women who had been successful in such predominantly male-oriented careers as the law, film direction and production, advertising, mechanical engineering, and management. Edwin Earhart's private law practice failed. He took an executive position with the Rock Island Line Railroad in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1905. It was in Des Moines in 1907 that Amelia saw her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair. She said later, ï¿½It was a thing of rusty wire and wood and not at all interesting." It was not until more than a decade later that her interest in flying would be set ablaze. In 1909, when Amelia was a young teenager, Edwin was promoted, and their standard of living improved. Soon after, Edwin began to drink and it became apparent to Amelia, friends and neighbors that he had become an alcoholic. After Edwin was fired from The Rock Island Railroad in 1914, Amy took the children to live with friends in Chicago. Using trust fund money, Amy sent the girls to private intermediate schools in preparation for college.

After graduating from Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1915, Earhart left to visit her sister at a college preparatory school in Canada. It was there that Earhart decided to train and work as a nurse's aide in Spadina Military Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, in November 1918. In the fall of 1919, Earhart enrolled in a pre-med program at Columbia University , but in 1920 quit to rejoin her recently reunited parents in California. Several months after her arrival, she attended a stunt-flying expedition with her father at Daugherty Field, Long Beach . Earhart's heart raced when an aircraft flew directly over their seats. The next day she was given a 10-minute flight. Only five days after her first ride, Earhart took her first flying lesson from pioneer aviatrix, Anita ï¿½Neta" Snook, at the Kinner Field near Long Beach. Within six months, Earhart had saved enough money to purchase her first aircraft, a second-hand Kinner Airster.

That two-seat yellow biplane, which she affectionately named Canary, was used by Earhart on October 22, 1922 to set her first woman's record of rising to an altitude of 14,000 feet. On May 15, 1923, she received her pilot's license from the Federation of Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) ï¿½ the 16th woman to do so. Realizing there was little monetary compensation for high-altitude flying, Earhart sold the Canary and purchased a yellow Kissel automobile. In 1924, after her parent's divorce, she then traveled with her mother across the country to Boston, Massachussetts. While in Boston in the fall of 1925, Earhart took a position as a novice social worker at Denison House. She also joined the Boston chapter of the National Aeronautic Association, where she invested what money she had into a company that would build an airport and market Kinner airplanes in Boston.

During that time, Earhart used her growing notoriety to market Kinner planes, and to promote flying, especially to women pilots , by writing regular columns on the subject. The Boston Globe called her ï¿½one of the best women pilots in the United States." Earhart's career as an aviatrix took off the day she received a telephone call from Captain H.H. Railey on April 27, 1926, inquiring if she wanted to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. After an interview in New York with the project coordinators and book publisher, publicist ï¿½ and future husband ï¿½ George P. Putnam, Earhart was invited to join pilot Wilmer ï¿½Bill" Stultz and co-pilot/mechanic Louis E. ï¿½Slim" Gordon on a flight from Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland, to Burry Port, Wales. Putnam, after successfully publishing writings by Charles A. Lindbergh , foresaw Earhart's flight as a bestselling story for his publishing house.

Although Earhart did not receive monetary compensation for the flight as Stultz and Gordon had, she was promised publicity from being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. In the multi-engined Fokker F7 dubbed Friendship, the crew made several attempts, due to poor weather conditions, before they finally left Boston Harbor and headed north to land at Trepassey, Newfoundland. High winds grounded the crew for days, while Stultz turned to drinking. On June 16, Earhart exercised her authority as commander of the trip by getting Stultz dosed with coffee and onto the pontoon-converted plane. Four hundred miles into the flight, Gordon took the controls and Stultz promptly fell asleep. Since Earhart was unfamiliar with the use of navigational instruments, she could not fly the plane herself. Twenty hours and forty minutes later, the crew spotted land and touched down on water near Burry Port, Wales, 140 miles short of their intended destination of Southampton, Ireland. The overwhelming publicity of the event that Earhart received was put to good use by Amelia and Putnam. She set several other aeronautical records between that flight and and her final one in 1937.

In the fall of 1928 she published the successful book, 20 Hours 40 Minutes, about her trip in the Friendship and she also became a writer for Cosmopolitan Magazine. She also was named the General Traffic Manager at Transcontinental Air Transport (later known as TWA ). During the preparation for the Atlantic trip, Earhart's friendship with still-married George Putnam blossomed. Upon his divorce, and after signing a prenuptial agreement guaranteeing her continued independence, she married Putnam in December 1929. He would support and publicize her flying career. In 1929, Earhart organized a cross-country air race dubbed the Women's Air Derby for pilots from Los Angeles to Cleveland ï¿½ later nicknamed the ï¿½Powder Puff Derby" by Will Rogers . Earhart placed third in that race. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean on May 20 and 21, 1932, the fifth anniversary of Lindbergh's famed flight, finishing it in 14 hours and 56 minutes.

She was awarded the National Geographic Society's gold medal from President Herbert Hoover and Congress awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross, the first ever given to a woman. On August 24-25, 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo nonstop from coast to coast, setting the transcontinental speed record for flying 2,447.8 miles in 19 hours and five minutes. And on July 7 and 8, 1933, she broke her previous women's nonstop transcontinental speed record by making the same flight in 17 hours and seven minutes. Other speed records she broke or set include being the first person to fly solo across the Pacific from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California , at a distance of 2,408 miles, on January 11, 1935. Ten pilots had already lost their lives attempting to cross the Pacific. Therefore, her plane was equipped with a two-way radio, making it the first ever carried in a civilian plane.

Over April 19 and 20, 1935, she was the first person to fly solo from Los Angeles, California , to Mexico City, Mexico, in 13 hours and 23 minutes. Then on May 8 of that same year, she was the first person to fly solo nonstop from Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey, in 14 hours and 19 minutes. Between the fall of 1935 and her disappearance in July 1937, Earhart served at Purdue University as a consultant in the Department for the Study of Careers for Women, and as a technical advisor in the Department of Aeronautics, which was part of the School of Mechanical Engineering. She became interested in Purdue because at the time it was the only university in the United States with a fully equipped airport. In addition, campus women were encouraged to receive practical mechanical and engineering training. Earhart lectured and conducted conferences with Purdue faculty and students. She initiated studies on new career opportunities for women, a lifelong passion of hers, and most importantly, served as an example of a successful modern woman to female Purdue University students. During a dinner party at Purdue University President Edward C.

Elliott's home, Earhart told of her desire for a flying laboratory where she could conduct studies of the effects of long-distance flying on pilots. By night's end, she received $80,000 in donations from fellow guests David Ross; J.K. Lilly, of the Eli Lilly Drug Company; Vincent Bendix; and manufacturers Western Electric , Goodrich, and Goodyear . The funds were used to purchase a new twin-engine Lockheed Electra 10E airplane specially suited for Earhart, and it was delivered in 1936. Shortly before her 40th birthday in 1937, Earhart expressed a desire to be the first woman to fly around the world. Not only would she be the first woman, but she would also travel the longest possible distance, circumnavigating the world at its girth. Referring to the flight, she said, ï¿½I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system, and I hope this trip is it." She chose Fredrick Noonan for her navigator, because of his knowledge of the Pacific Area, having worked for Pan American Pacific Clipper.

Using her Lockheed Electra 10E, they set off on March 17, 1935, for a flight from Oakland, California to Hawaii. During takeoff from Luke Field near Pearl Harbor, the plane was seriously damaged when Earhart overcompensated for a dropped right wing, causing the aircraft to go out of control. The plane was shipped to California for repairs while Earhart planned her next departure. Since they were leaving so much later in the year, Earhart decided to travel in the reverse direction from her original plan to fly west. Weather conditions were more favorable in the Caribbean and Africa. After the plane's delivery, on May 21, 1937, Earhart and Noonan departed from Los Angeles, California, to Florida to begin their 29,000 mile journey. On June 1, 1937, Earhart and Noonan departed Miami, Florida , to San Juan, Puerto Rico. From there, they traveled to South America, then on to Africa and the Red Sea.

Becoming the first to fly non-stop from the Red Sea to Karachi, India, they traveled from there on to Rangoon, Bangkok, Singapore, and Bandoeng where they were prevented from departing for several days because of monsoons. During that time, Amelia became ill with dysentery that lasted for several days. At that time, repairs were made to the long-distance instruments, which had been giving them trouble. It was not until June 16, 1937, that the pair was able to depart for Port Darwin, Australia, where the direction finder was repaired and their parachutes were shipped home because they ï¿½would be of no value over the Pacfic." They reached Lae, New Guinea, in the mid-Pacific on June 29. With only 7,000 miles left, their next stop would be one of the most navigationally challenging locations, Howland Island, which was only a mile and a half long and half a mile wide. Inaccurate navigational maps had plagued Noonan throughout the trip; therefore, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca was stationed just off shore to act as their radio contact.

Radio conditions were poor and the Itasca was bombarded with commercial radio traffic generated from the flight. To provide additional illumination, three other U.S. ships ï¿½ burning every possible light on deck ï¿½ were positioned along the flight route as markers. About that additional help, Earhart remarked, ï¿½Howland is such a small spot in the Pacific that every aid to locating it must be available." At 0:00 hours Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) on July 2, 1937, the Electra took off from Lae with an estimated 1,000 gallons of fuel, allowing for 20 to 21 hours of flight. Despite favorable weather reports, Noonan's premier method of celestial navigation was impossible due to overcast skies and intermittent rain showers. At 08:00 hours, Earhart's plane was on course at roughly 20 miles southwest of the Nukumanu Islands, but headwind speeds had increased by 10 to 12 mph. It is doubtful that Earhart had received the headwinds report prior to her radio transmission. She made irregular transmissions throughout most of the flight and those received were faint and full of static.

At 19:30 hours, Earhart reported to the Itasca, ï¿½We must be on you, but we cannot see you, but gas is running low... been unable to reach you by radio ... we are flying at 1,000 feet," at which point the Itasca produced thick black smoke into the air that trailed the ship for approximately 10 miles. Radio controllers continued to transmit, but could not establish two-way contact. Sixteen minutes later, at 19:46 hours GMT, Earhart made her final transmission: ï¿½We are on the line position 157-337 will repeat this message... We are running north and south." The Itasca continued to make attempts to establish two-way contact, broadcasting on all channels until 21:30 hours GMT when it was determined that her plane must have ditched into the ocean. With that determination, the most expensive air and sea search so far in history was begun, totalling $4 million and covering 250,000 square miles of ocean. President Franklin Roosevelt had dispatched nine naval ships and 66 aircraft, but on July 18, the main search was abandoned.

George Putnam continued the search until October, when he also abandoned hopes of locating his wife and the navigator. Earhart's own courage and bravery is illustrated in a letter left to Putnam in case the flight would be her last. She wrote, ï¿½Please know I am quite aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge for others." Biography: Amelia Earhart for Kids from the Los Angeles Daily News Occupation: Aviator Born: July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas Died: She disappeared on July 2, 1937 over the Pacific Ocean. She was declared dead on January 5, 1939 Best known for: Being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean Biography: Where did Amelia Earhart grow up? Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas . Her father, Edwin, was a lawyer who worked for the railroad. She spent a lot of her childhood playing with her younger sister Muriel.

Growing up Amelia and her sister had all sorts of adventures. They collected insects and frogs. They liked to play sports including baseball and football. Amelia even learned to shoot a .22 rifle and used it to kill rats in her Dad's barn. Amelia's first "flight" was when she was just seven years old. With the help of Muriel and her uncle she made a homemade roller coaster. After crashing dramatically she told her sister that it "was just like flying". When Amelia was eleven years old, in 1908, she saw one of the Wright Brothers first airplanes at the Iowa State Fair. She had no interest in flying and didn't think much of the plane at the time. Before Flying After graduating from high school, Amelia wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She first went to the Ogontz School in Pennsylvania, but dropped out to become a nurse's aide tending wounded soldiers from World War I. Then she studied to become a mechanic, but soon was back in school studying for a career in medicine. Eventually she decided to go into medical research. That is, until she took her first plane flight.

First Time Flying On December 28, 1920 Amelia and her father visited an air show in California. Amelia went on her first plane flight that day. She later said that "I knew I had to fly" as soon as the plane was just a few hundred feet off the ground. Amelia worked hard and, together with some money from her mother, she was able to pay for flying lessons. Eventually she purchased her own plane. A bright yellow airplane she nicknamed the "Canary". She also got her pilot's license and set a new altitude record for female pilots of 14,000 feet. Amelia Earhart awaits transatlantic flight 1928 by Wide World Photos First Woman to Cross the Atlantic In 1928 Amelia was invited to take part in a historic flight across the Atlantic. Together with pilot Bill Stultz and co-pilot Slim Gordon, Amelia flew across the Atlantic Ocean in the airplane Friendship. Amelia was the navigator on the flight. On June 18, 1928 after twenty one hours of flying, the plane landed in Wales. She was the first woman to make the flight across the Atlantic.

Earhart was received back in the United States as a hero. They had a ticker tape parade for her in New York City and she even got to meet President Calvin Coolidge at the White House. Crossing the Atlantic Solo Amelia was not satisfied, however. She wanted to make the same trip across the Atlantic, but this time she wanted to pilot the plane and make the flight by herself. On May 20, 1932 she took off from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland aboard a bright red single engine Lockheed Vega airplane. She intended to make the same flight that Charles Lindbergh had made five years before and fly to Paris, France. The flight was very dangerous. There was bad weather, thick clouds, and often her windshield and wings were covered with ice. Fourteen hours later she had crossed the Atlantic Ocean, but had to cut the flight short, landing in a cow pasture in Londonderry, Northern Ireland . Amelia became only the second person after Charles Lindbergh to successfully fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo. She received many awards including becoming the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress. Aviator Amelia continued to fly over the next several years.

She broke many records including being the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California. Amelia wrote and gave speeches about flying and women's rights. World Flight Although she was the most famous woman pilot in the world, Earhart wasn't satisfied and wanted to be the first woman to fly around the world. On June 1937 Amelia and Fred Noonan, her navigator, took off from Miami, Florida. They flew a number of flights, eventually getting all the way across Africa and Asia to New Guinea in the South Pacific. On July 2nd they took off from New Guinea to fly to Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean, but they were never seen from again. Amelia Disappears The United States government searched for Amelia and her plane for several weeks, but they could not find them. There have been a lot of theories about what happened to the flight, but no one really knows and her plane has never been found. Fun Facts about Amelia Earhart Amelia went by the nicknames Meeley and Millie. Her sister Muriel was called Pidge. She married her book publisher, George Putnam, in 1931.

When Amelia landed in Ireland after her solo Atlantic flight, the farmer asked her where she was from. When she answered that she was from America, he wasn't quite sure he believed her. Howland Island is a mile and a half wide and one mile long. It is located in the Pacific Ocean 2,556 miles from New Guinea. A lighthouse was built to the memory of Amelia Earhart on Howland Island. In 1935 she became the first person to fly solo from Los Angeles to Mexico City and from Mexico City to Newark, New Jersey. More women leaders: Amelia Earhart Biography | AmeliaEarhart.net Biography Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas to parents Samuel Edwin Stanton Earhart and Amelia Amy Otis Earhart on July 24, 1897. Earhart was named after her two grandmothers, a family custom. At an early age, it was obvious that Earhart and her sister, Grace Muriel Earhart, were the adventurous type. Day in and day out, Amelia and her sister would set out for hours on end to explore their neighborhood. This included everything from hunting rats to climbing trees.

While these activities were usually associated with that of young boys, Earhart never had an issue taking part as well. At the age of 10, Earhart’s father was transferred to a new job in Des Moines, Iowa. Shortly after the move, she saw her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair. At the time, Earhart did not have any interest in flying and referred to the plane as “a thing of rusty wire and wood and not at all interesting.” Education While her parents were getting settled in Des Moines, Earhart stayed behind in Atchison to continue her education. At the time, she was being home schooled along with her sister. Upon moving to Iowa in 1909, Earhart enrolled in a public school. It is well documented that during this time she would spend hours on end reading in the family library. In 1915, Earhart once again moved; this time to St. Paul, Minnesota. Shortly thereafter, she ended up moving to Chicago. In an attempt to find the school with the best science program, she spent a lot of time researching institutions in the area. Soon enough, she settled on Hyde Park High School. Earhart graduated in 1916.

Despite changing schools on several occasions, Earhart graduated on time and with excellent grades. Early Flying Career On December 28, 1920, Earhart got her first taste of life in the sky. She and her father visited an airfield, and soon enough she was preparing for her first flight with professional pilot Frank Hawks. Earhart said, "By the time I had got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly.” After this short flight, she became obsessed with aviation and vowed to make this her career as soon as possible. One month after her first flight, Earhart had saved enough money to take flying lessons. Despite the hard work that went into learning how to fly an early plane, Earhart pushed forward with dogged perseverance. Six months after taking flight for the first time, she managed to purchase her first airplane. Although used, the Kinner Airster biplane is just what she needed to get her career moving in the right direction.

Thanks to its bright yellow color, Earhart nicknamed the plane “Canary.” On May 15, 1923, Earhart became only the 16th woman to be issued a pilot’s license by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. By 1927, Earhart had logged more than 500 hours in the sky without any serious incident or harm. At the time, this was quite the achievement. In fact, it led to the Boston Globe referring to her as one of the best women pilots in the United States. In April of 1928, Earhart took advantage of a big offer. She received a phone call from publicist Capt. Hilton H. Railey asking if she would like to fly the Atlantic. After meeting with project coordinators, she was asked to join two other pilots, Louis E. Gordon and Wilmer Stultz, on the mission. On June 17, 1928, the three pilots departed from Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland. Flying in a Fokker F7, the three pilots navigated their way 21 hours to Burry Port, Wales.

This flight was a huge accomplishment for the aviation industry, and made headlines the world over. Upon returning to the United States, the pilots were greeted with a parade in New York as well as a reception at the White House held by President Calvin Coolidge. After taking part in this record breaking event, Earhart decided to devote her entire life to flying. By this point she had shown the world that women were more than capable of flying, and with this came a lot of respect and future opportunities. Marriage After years of being courted, Earhart finally decided to marry George Putnam. Earhart was previously engaged to Samuel Chapman, but during that period she was also spending a lot of time with Putnam. After a bit of hesitation, the two wed on February 7, 1931. Although the two never had children of their own, Putnam did have two sons from a previous marriage. Continued Flying Career On May 20, 1932, Earhart took off for a solo flight from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland. Although the initial plan was to end the trip in Paris, strong winds forced Earhart to abandon the flight in Culmore, Ireland.

Although Earhart did not land at her intended target, the flight gained worldwide attention due in large part that she was the first woman to fly non-stop across the Atlantic without a co-pilot. This feat led to a gold medal from the National Geographic Society, as well as a Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress; the first one given to a woman. In 1937, Earhart prepared for a challenge that would outdo all previous accomplishments. She decided it was time to become the first woman to fly around the world. During the first attempt at this feat, she was joined onboard by Fred Noonan, the second navigator, Harry Manning, and Paul Mantz. Unfortunately, the group did not make it far due to technical issues after a scheduled landing in Hawaii. In true Earhart fashion, a second attempt was immediately planned out. The first leg of the trip was from Oakland, California to Miami, Florida. At this time, Earhart publicly announced her intentions. This time around, Earhart and her only other crew member, Noonan, would be flying the other way around the world due to changes in wind and weather patterns. After leaving Miami, the pair stopped in South America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.

They eventually would up in Lea, New Guinea. At this time, 22,000 miles of the trip were complete, with only 7,000 more to go. On July 2, 1937, the pair took off from Lea in route to Howland Island. However, their last known position was somewhere near the Nukumanu Islands, 800 miles into the flight. The US Coast Guard had assigned the Itasca to station near Howland to guide Earhart to the island once she moved into the area. Although the exact details are not well known, the final approach to the island was never made. Some feel that Earhart was not skilled at using her Bendix direction finding loop antenna, new technology at the time, and others believe that she had not properly timed the arrival with the US Coast Guard. The last transmission that Earhart made took place at 8:43 am. She said, "We are on the line 157 337. We will repeat this message. We will repeat this on 6210 kilocycles.

Wait.” Instead, she returned a few minutes later on the same frequency and spoke her last known words, “We are running on line north and south.” A rescue attempt was made, and at the time, it was the most intense search in naval history. On July 19, after spending more than $4 million, the United States government called off the search. Once the official search was called off, Earhart’s husband sponsored a search by local authorities of nearby islands and waters, focusing mainly on the Gilberts. In late July he also chartered two small boats and directed a search of the Phoenix Islands, Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, and Fanning Island. Unfortunately, no trace of Earhart or her plane was located. Although Amelia Earhart’s life was cut short, she is one of the most well known pilots that the world has ever seen. Amelia Earhart Birthplace--Aviation: From Sand Dunes to Sonic Booms: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary Amelia Earhart Photo courtesy of Amelia Earhart Birthplace Musuem The accomplishments of Amelia Earhart in the field of aviation were many.

She is best remembered as the first woman to make a solo flight across the Atlantic, May 20-21, 1932. For this achievement Vice President Charles Curtis awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross on July 29, 1932. Some of her other achievements included: setting the women's altitude record, the women's speed record, the first person to fly solo from Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California, and she was the first woman to make a solo round trip of the United States. On July 2, 1937, she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, while on a round-the-world flight, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. The house where Amelia Earhart was born and raised was built in 1861 by her grandfather, Judge Alfred G. Otis, in Atchison, Kansas. Amelia was born in the southwest bedroom on the second floor. Although there is some disagreement as to the date of her birth, records of the Trinity Episcopal Church of Atchison indicate the date was July 24, 1897.

Her father, Edwin Stanton Earhart, was a lawyer whose position as claims agent for a railroad required him to travel a great deal. Consequently Amelia and her sister Muriel stayed with their grandparents much of the time. In one of her books Amelia mentioned that she had attended grammar school in Atchison until the eighth grade and had skipped two grades in the process. Even though she lived in many different cities, Amelia considered Atchison her hometown. It is probable that she spent more time in the house she was born in, called the Otis House, than anywhere else. The Amelia Earhart Birthplace represents one of the few remaining tangible associations with this famous aviation pilot. Amelia Earhart Birthplace Photo courtesy of Joan Adam The house faces east and overlooks the Missouri River from the crest of a bluff. The front portion of the house is two stories high and constructed of wood and horizontal lap siding; the rear portion is one story and is constructed of brick masonry. A one-story, flat-roofed frame porch runs the length of the east front and is supported by six hexagonal columns, of which the four center ones are paired. The roof is a double pitch gable with an intersecting gable on the east side.

Most window openings have a semicircular arched head. The Amelia Earhart Birthplace is located on 223 North Terrace St., in Atchison, Kansas. The museum is open Monday-Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm, Saturday 10:00am to 4:00pm and Sunday 1:00pm to 4:00pm; on holidays by appointment. There is a fee for admission. Please call 913-367-4217 or visit the museum's website for information. Another valuable online source of information on Amelia Earhart are the George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers at Purdue University .

Question: Amelia Earhart was born in which state?
Answer: Kansas