Amelia Earhart

Born in Atchison, Kansas, in 1897, Amelia Earhart grew up with an adventurous streak that would shape her whole life. She learned to fly in the early 1920s and quickly built a reputation as a fearless pilot at a time when aviation was still new and dangerous.

Earhart became internationally famous in 1928 as the first woman to cross the Atlantic by airplane, and in 1932 she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She set other flying records, wrote about her experiences, and encouraged more women to enter aviation, helping turn her into one of the most recognizable public figures of her era.

In 1937, while attempting to fly around the world, she disappeared over the Pacific with navigator Fred Noonan. Although the mystery of her final flight remains unsolved, her life continues to be remembered not only for the mystery, but for the boldness, skill, and example she offered to generations of readers and dreamers.