Amelia Earhart is an inspiration to women everywhere. Fueled by ambition and desire, she set out to break barriers and records across the board. Earhart had a genuine passion for aviation, and despite the dominant male presence, she believed that with ambition and courage she could change the aviation game for years to come.
On December 28, 1920, the young aviation enthusiast’s life changed forever. Pilot Frank Hawks granted Amelia her first flight in an airplane.
Within the next year, Earhart began to take flight classes in the hopes of receiving her pilot’s license. During this year she proceeded to buy her very own plane, “The Canary,” a Kinner Airster.
Right after receiving her pilot’s license, Earhart began to break records. On October 22, 1922 she broke the women’s altitude record when she rose to 14,000 ft.
Amelia took her first flight across the Atlantic in 1928. She traveled as a passenger, keeping logs for the pilots. She received much praise for her “achievement,” but she didn’t understand why. The young girl compared her contribution to a “sack of potatoes.” Although she didn’t think much of her own contribution to the trip, she was still the first female ever to make a trip across the Atlantic
Setting out for redemption in 1932, the eager aviator decided she was going to fly herself across the Atlantic (being the second person and first woman to make the trip). In doing so, she also beat her previous time as a passenger of 20 hours and 40 minutes with a time of 14 hours and 56 minutes. Earhart’s achievement proved that men and women can both hold their own in “jobs requiring intelligence, coordination, speed, coolness, and willpower”.
While Earhart spent much of her time taking to the skies, she did not shirk the opportunity to have a love life. As a strong investor into her own freedom, the air enthusiast wrote a prenuptual letter to her soon to be husband, George Putnam, letting him know what she wanted out of marriage:
“You must know again my reluctance to marry, my feeling that I shatter thereby chances in work which means most to me. I feel the move just now as foolish as anything I could do. I know there may be compensations but have no heart to look ahead.
On our life together I want you to understand I shall not hold you to any medieval code of faithfulness to me nor shall I consider myself bound to you similarly. If we can be honest I think the difficulties which arise may best be avoided should you or I become interested deeply (or in passing) in anyone else.”
Earhart knew what she wanted both in marriage and in life. She was persistent in achieving everything she deemed possible in her mind.
Pushing forward, she continued to break records and become the first person to ever fly solo across the Pacific, from Honolulu, HI to Oakland, CA.
At the age of 39, the pilot decided to take on her biggest task yet: to be the first woman to fly around the world. Her first attempt in March of 1937 proved fruitless, but she proceeded for one more try. She rebuilt her plane and took to the sky on June first. As the trip progressed it became necessary for Earhart and her co-pilot to get rid of any unnecessary items in order to make room for fuel.
On July 2, 1937 Earhart had her last conversation with the U.S. Coast Guard.
7:42 a.m: “We must be on you, but we cannot see you. Fuel is running low. Been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at 1,000 feet.”
The guard replied, but Amelia could not hear their response.
8:45 a.m. “We are running north and south.”
Those were the last words of Amelia Earhart. The disappearance sparked the most extensive air and sea search the naval has ever conducted.
To this day, there has been no discovery of Amelia, her co-pilot or her plane.
Amelia Earhart, you remain an inspiration to women everywhere. You paved the way for many women today. You proved that with hard work anything is possible despite your gender. You showed that an independent woman can reach unfathomable amounts of success independently. You took to the skies for pure self-enjoyment, ultimately demonstrating that women can accomplish goals, effectively and successfully, in careers that were “meant” for men. Some may say your story ends in tragedy, but I believe it ends in triumph. You are the ultimate role model for women young and old today. I admire you. You are your own woman, you found happiness in the path you chose to take. Your story will continue to inspire for years to come.
“Please 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 to others.” -Amelia Earhart
