by Justine Winkler April 26, 2013 Amelia Earhart by Justine Winkler April 26, 2013

FAMOUS! Why Amelia Earhart is Amelia Earhart was the first women to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross Award for being the first female pilot to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia was the first woman to fly non-stop across the United States. Amelia was also the first women passenger ever to be on a flight over the Atlantic Ocean.

Facts (Early life): Amelia Mary Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. As a child, Amelia often pretended to travel to far away places. Amelia’s family did not want her to be a pilot but she took classes anyway.

Facts (Middle life): Amelia graduated from Hyde Park High School and was a nurse’s helper in a hospital during World War I. In 1920, Amelia rode in an airplane for the first time. She got her pilot’s license in 1921. She worked as a teacher and social worker. She married publisher George Putnam in 1931.

Facts (Late life): In 1932, Amelia Earhart was the first women pilot to fly a plane across the Atlantic Ocean by herself. In 1937, Amelia and her navigator Fred Noonan tried to fly around the world, but they disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. Amelia was 40 years old when she went missing, and her disappearance remains unsolved.

Cool Facts: In 1922, Amelia set a world record for women's flying at a height of 14,000 feet. Amelia published a book about her flight across the Atlantic. The book was called “20 Hrs., 40 Min.: Our Flight in the Friendship.” Amelia worked to help women who were interested in having careers in flying. More information can be found about Amelia Earhart in books and magazines, and at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

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