Amelia Earhart
On May 21st 1932, five years to the day that American aviator Charles Lindbergh became the first pilot to accomplish a solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, female aviator Amelia Earhart became the first pilot to repeat the feat, landing her plane in Ireland after flying across the North Atlantic. Earhart travelled over 2,000 miles from Newfoundland in just under 15 hours.
Unlike Charles Lindbergh, Earhart was well known to the public before her solo transatlantic flight. In 1928, as a member of a three-person crew, she had become the first woman to cross the Atlantic in an aircraft. Although her only function during the crossing was to keep the plane’s log, the event won her national fame, and Americans were enamoured with the daring and modest young pilot. For her solo transatlantic crossing in 1932, she was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross by the U.S. Congress.
In 1935, in the first flight of its kind, she flew solo from Wheeler Field in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California, winning a $10,000 award posted by Hawaiian commercial interests. Two years later, she attempted, along with copilot Frederick J. Noonan, to fly around the world, but her plane disappeared near Howland Island in the South Pacific on July 2, 1937. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca picked up radio messages that she was lost and low in fuel–the last the world ever heard from Amelia Earhart.
This Day In History
Hi Craig, I have really missed your daily shot of history fun facts, and was hoping you might start up again, at least once in a while.
Posted by Naomi Baltuck | May 21, 2012, 11:24Sorry for the delay, and glad you enjoyed this one. I also did one for May 7th today, and will do one extra each day until I catch up the missing days.
Posted by Craig Hill | May 21, 2012, 22:37Hurray!
Posted by Naomi Baltuck | May 22, 2012, 17:04I echo the comment above – been missing the history! This photo of Amelia looks a little like Zara Phillips to me.
Posted by tripwheels | May 21, 2012, 19:05I can always count on Craig for a dose of history!
Posted by Aj b33m3R | May 21, 2012, 22:56So happy to see another history post, it’s been awhile. Incidentally, I found your post on the ginger very informative.
Wonder where Earhart went down at? I thought that not long ago they found a plane in a jungle and were investigating as to whether or not it was Earhart’s. Guess it wasn’t, because I never heard anymore about it. Enjoyed the post!
Posted by J. G. Burdette | May 22, 2012, 00:52now that’s a woman i would have liked to have a pint (or more) with. courage.
Posted by pdlyons | May 22, 2012, 02:43Wonderful … to be free from all that China – it’s interesting to some degree … articles like this is what you’re so good on .. and I have missed them too. This was a remarkable woman – and there is plenty more of us … only that they aren’t getting notices.
Posted by viveka | May 22, 2012, 04:19I now have to divide my time between history and China… and my favourite Swedish reader 🙂
Posted by Craig Hill | May 22, 2012, 14:39Thank you so much …. I’m not the only one that has been missing the “old” you!
Posted by viveka | May 22, 2012, 18:00