Dead People You Should Know: Amelia Earhart

  Amelia was born in Atchison, Kansas in July 24, 1897. She grew up with a mother who couldn't support her , so she was mainly raised by her grandparents. She graduated from a high school in Chicago, and went to the Ognotz School in Philadelphia. However, she didn't finish because she went to help wounded soldiers.Earhart first discovered her love for flight was attending an air show in California. 

She had to pay her way to flying school by working small jobs. Finally, she got flying lessons from Neta Shook. Amelia immersed herself in the knowledge of flying, by cutting her hair and wearing leather, which were trademarks in flying. She finally decided to buy a plane of her own. She bought a bright yellow plane that she named Canary. In October, Amelia flew 14,000 miles in the air, which was the highest altitude yet for women pilots. She received a Fédération Aéronautique International license on December 15, 1921, and she was the sixteenth woman to receive it. However, her flying dreams were cut short when she had to sell her plane for money.  


She became a member in the American Aeronautical Society's location in Boston. She advertised for flying by selling articles promoting aviation, and a representative for Kinner airplanes. Amelia became a predominant figure in the public eye. She used her position to publicize women's rights and especially concerning women in aviation. She hoped to fly across the Atlantic Ocean with the help of one of her colleagues. The flight took off with bad visibility conditions, and the plane later experienced mechanical issues. She couldn't quite fly to Paris, so she flew to London. Amelia received many awards one given by the President at the time, Herbert Hoover, Congress, and one from the French government for her magnificent feats. After all of her other flights, Amelia dreamed of something bigger which was flying around the whole world.

  The original plan was to start in California and continue west. Amelia and her partner Noonan misjudged their situation flying down to Howard Island. The duo had concerns about their fuel supply, location, and radio signal. Everything was against them, and they soon were pronounced dead with a mysterious disappearance. There are many theories today on what happened on their flight. Whatever happened to Amelia and her partner will always be speculation, however, Earhart's passion for changing aviation will never be doubted.

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