Biography of Amelia Earhart

            Amelia Earhart defied all odds by becoming a pilot. Women were not encouraged to join predominately male careers because it went against their nature. Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, but she faced many challenges while striving to achieve that title. Earhart's early years were a little rough since she moved around a lot with her family. School work was never a problem though because she kept her grades up. She was in control of her own destiny from a very young age (Sherman, 2012). Her father took her to the Iowa State Fair when she was ten years old and that is where she saw her first plane. Earhart was not impressed with the exhibit at all. After graduating from school, she was drafted into World War I, where she served as a nurse with the Volunteer Aid Detachment for St John's Ambulance Brigade (Sherman, 2012). In 1920, Amelia joined Frank Hawks on a plane ride that changed her life forever. Her fascination with aviation had begun and she knew immediately that becoming a pilot and flying on her own was her ultimate goal. She states, "After midnight, the moon set, and I was alone with the stars. I have often said that the lure of flying is the lure of beauty, and I need no other flight to convince me that the reason flyers fly, whether they know it or not, is the esthetic appeal of flying" (Earhart). This personal quote comes straight from her heart because she truly loved flying. .
             When Earhart was in California, she decided to obtain her pilots license. It started out as just a fun hobby, but the more time she spent around the planes, she continued to fall in love with them. She just could not stay away from the air strip. Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, thanks to George Putnam, who later became her husband. He was hired to select a female that was not well known to make the flight and Earhart fit the mold. She was merely a passenger on the plane, but still gained quite a bit of publicity from it.