Amelia Earhart: A Pioneer Of Aviation And Women's Rights

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Amelia Earhart: A Pioneer of Aviation and Women’s Rights

Born in Atchison, Kansas, Earhart was just your typical tomboy with a loving family and her own interests(Haugen). Throughout her life she faced many struggles involving family, flying, and herself(Haugen). Many do not see this, they see a strong, confident, humble aviator who not only only demonstrated the capability of women, but also broke records and accomplished feats never before done by men or women alike(Haugen). From her first transatlantic flight as a passenger, to Earhart’s courageous attempt to fly around the world, she was a woman of hope, audacity, and a daring tomboy attitude(Haugen). This not only helped propel her career in aeronautics, but established her life accomplishments …show more content…

Earhart’s younger sister, Muriel, was born shortly after on December 29, 1899(Haugen). The Earhart’s were by no means a wealthy family, and this contributed to Earhart’s turbulent childhood( "The Official Website of Amelia Earhart."). Nobody was sure when it started, but it was clear that Edwin developed alcohol problems around the time in which Amelia was still a young girl(Haugen). This resulted in Edwin losing his job and forcing the Earhart’s to move… a lot(Haugen). As a girl, Earhart had very many unladylike interests, but surprisingly one of them wasn’t in planes("Amelia Earhart."). Edwin once took young Earhart to a plane show, a very popular source of entertainment at the time, but Amelia was not impressed and didn’t seem to give it a second thought(Haugen). Then in 1917 she happened to go to a stunt flying exhibition(Haugen). Earhart recalls her close encounter with the plane, “I remember the mingled fear and pleasure which surged over me… I did not understand it at the time but I believe that little red airplane said something to me…(Haugen)” Earhart’s mind was made up: she was going to learn how to …show more content…

Not long after, Amelia was participating in women’s flying races and setting speed and altitude records(Haugen). One of the first records she set was an altitude record of 14,000 feet, which she later surpassed with an even more impressive record of 18,000 feet( "The Official Website of Amelia Earhart."). Then came the day on which Earhart’s life would change dramatically. She was given a request to accompany pilot Wilmer Stultz, co-pilot Louis Gower, and mechanic Louis Gordon, on a trip across the Atlantic, making her the first woman to ever have done so("Amelia Earhart."). This successful flight already made Earhart stand out as a famous and well-known female figure. With the public anxious to hear about what happened on the trip across the Atlantic, George Putnam, a writer, worked with Amelia to publish the story of her journey “20 Hours, 40 Minutes: Our Flight in the Friendship("Amelia Earhart.").” Putnam actually proposed to Earhart on several occasions, and after a few refusals, Earhart agreed to marry him on February 7, 1931(Haugen). Along the way Earhart set more and more records such as flying across the Atlantic from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii, as well as from Los Angeles to about Mexico City(she got lost), with those being just

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