Amelia Mary Earhart, (born July 24, 1897; missing July 2, 1937) was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed L-10 Electra, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day.
•Woman’s world altitude record: 14,000 ft (1922)
•First woman to fly the Atlantic (1928)
•Speed records for 100 km (and with 500 lb (230 kg) cargo) (1931)
•First woman to fly an autogyro (1931)
•Altitude record for autogyros: 15,000 ft (1931)
•First person to cross the U.S. in an autogyro (1932)
•First woman to fly the Atlantic solo (1932)
•First person to fly the Atlantic twice (1932)
•First woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross (1932)
•First woman to fly non-stop, coast-to-coast across the U.S. (1933)
•Woman’s speed transcontinental record (1933)
•First person to fly solo between Honolulu, Hawaii and Oakland, California (1935)
•First person to fly solo from Los Angeles, California to Mexico City, Mexico (1935)
•First person to fly solo nonstop from Mexico City, Mexico to Newark, New Jersey (1935)
•Speed record for east-to-west flight from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii (1937) “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward”. Amelia Earhart.