Amelia Earhart: Pioneering Aviator and Force for Women's Rights

Amelia Earhart: Pioneering Aviator and Force for Women's Rights — page 9
AmeliA’S ASSociAteS Amelia Earhart was neither the first nor the best female pilot in America She was however the one with the best publicist her husband George Putnam In her day she shared the skies with a number of other women who were flying as high fast and far as Amelia including the following The first American woman to become a licensed pilot was Harriet Quimby in 1911 Born in Michigan in 1875 Harriet was also the first woman to fly across the English Channel Ten weeks later on July 1 1912 she died after being accidentally ejected from her plane during an air meet in Boston Ruth Nichols earned her pilot’s license at age 23 In 1928 she was co-pilot on the first-ever non-stop flight from New York to Miami Florida Along with Amelia she raced in the first air race for women in 1929 Ruth didn’t cross the finish line because she crashed her plane during the race During her flying career she set seven records for speed distance and altitude In 1932 wrote Amelia Ruth has been to date officially higher faster and farther in a straight line than any other woman Ruth died of a drug overdose in 1960 at age 59 In 1928 16-year-old Elinor Smith got her pilot’s license making her the youngest certified pilot in the world By then she had already been flying for eight years She made her first solo flight at 15 When she was 17 she attracted plenty of attention and trouble for herself by flying under all the East River bridges in New York City one Sunday afternoon wrote Amelia of her friend During her career Elinor set many records for altitude and endurance In 1934 she also became the first woman to appear on the Wheaties cereal box Elinor died in 2010 at the age of 98 Elinor Smith Harriet Quimby Ruth Nichols 12