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Born
Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. From a young age, she defied traditional gender roles with her adventerous spirit and love for the outdoors. Earhart was homeschooled by her mother until she went to school from 7th grade to 12th grade. -
First Airplane Ride
After quitting her pre-med program at Columbia University, Amelia Earhart moved to California to join her parents. A few months later, she attended a stunt-flying expedition with her father and the day after, she was given a 10-minute flight. Only five days later, she began taking flying lessons. -
The Canary
In the summer of 1921, Amelia Earhart bought her first plane, a second-hand Kinner Airster biplane painted bright yellow. She named it "The Canary." -
First Record
On October 22, 1922, Amelia Earhart flew her plane to 14,000 feet, which was the world altitude record for female pilots. This record was shortly broken by someone else; when she set out to remake it, she was stopped short because of weather conditions and almost crashed, but she managed to land safely. -
Ninety-Nine
Amelia Earhart became the first president of a club of female pilots called the Ninety-Nines in 1930. Members of this club still participate in many events and enjoy flying. -
Married
On February 7, 1931, Amelia Earhart married George Putnam, who was also the publisher of her autobiography. Putnam proposed six times before she finally agreed. -
Solo Flight Across the Atlantic
On May 20 and 21, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was the first ever given to a woman. This fight also established her as an international hero. -
Solo Flight Coast-to-Coast
On August 24-25, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo from coast-to-coast when she flew from Los Angeles, California to Newark, New Jersey in a record time of nineteen hours, five minutes. The next July she set a speed record, making the same flight in seventeen hours, seven minutes. -
The Last Flight
Amelia Earhart set out from Miami to be the first person to fly solo around the world, making several stops in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. More than halfway through the flight, her plane disappeared, probably crashing in the Pacific Ocean. -
Search Called Off
An hour following Earhart's last recorded message, the USCG Itasca began an ultimately unsuccessful search, and more searches followed, but none were successful. She was declared dead on January 5th, 1939. -
Sources
"Amelia Earhart and the 99's." AmeliaEarhartControversy.com, ameliaearhartcontroversy.com. Accessed 2 Apr. 2019.
"Amelia Earhart Timeline." SoftSchools.com, www.softschools.com. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019.
Biography.com Editors, editor. "Amelia Earhart Biography." Biography.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com. Accessed 1 Apr. 2019.
Harris, Collin. "Amelia Earhart Becomes the First Woman to Fly Solo from Coast-to-Coast." World History Project, worldhistoryproject.org.
