Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. She took her first airplane ride in December 1920. She learned to fly by taking flying lessons, and in 1923 she received her pilot's license. She became a pilot who set many flying records.

In 1928 Earhart was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air. She rode as a passenger on the Friendship while two men flew the plane. In August 1929 she finished third in the first air race across the United States for women. In 1931 she was the first woman to fly an autogiro, and she set an altitude record in it. She was also the first president of the Ninety-Nines, a group of women pilots.

You may have heard that Earhart was the first person to fly alone across the Atlantic. That is not right. In 1932 she became the first woman, and the second person, to do it. In May she flew a Lockheed Vega from Newfoundland across the Atlantic to Northern Ireland. Ice formed on the wings of her Vega. The flight made her an international hero.

On January 11, 1935, Earhart began a solo flight from Honolulu to Oakland. She flew alone over the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to California. In 1935 she also joined Purdue University as a counselor on careers for women.

In 1937 Earhart tried to fly around the world. She flew a Lockheed Electra, and the flight set off from Miami, Florida, on June 1, 1937. Fred Noonan was the navigator who flew with her. In July 1937 they left New Guinea heading for tiny Howland Island. The Coast Guard cutter Itasca was waiting at Howland Island to support the flight. Earhart intended to return her Electra to Purdue after the world flight.

On July 2, 1937, radio contact between Earhart's plane and the Itasca was lost. After the plane went missing, ships and planes searched for her. The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard carried out a very large search, which lasted about two weeks. It found no trace of the plane or its crew. As of November 2026 the Electra has not been found.

Words to know

• autogiro: flying machine
• navigator: route finder
• counselor: a guide
• cutter: Coast Guard ship