Amelia Earhart

by: Amy Lemons and Katie King

Table of Contents:

1 Amelia Earhart

2 Childhood

3 Young Adult

4 Early Career

5 Female Pilot

6 A Successful Flight

7 A Determined Pilot

8 Glossary

Amelia Earhart Amelia Earhart was the first female pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Let’s take a

look at how Amelia became a hero at just 30 years old!

Childhood Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. She had a

sister named Muriel. Together, Amelia and Muriel had a lot of adventures. They collected insects and frogs, explored the neighborhood, and

climbed trees together.

Young Adult After Amelia graduated high school, she

became a nurse’s aide where she helped wounded soldiers from World War One.

She went back to school to study medicine, but soon after became interested in

becoming a pilot after attending an air show in 1920. It was there that she took a

plane ride that transformed her life.

Early Career In order to pay for flying lessons, Amelia had to earn money by working a variety of odd jobs. She began studying, practicing,

and spending all of her extra time learning how to fly. In 1921, Amelia bought her first airplane which she nicknamed “The Canary”

because it was yellow.

Female Pilot On May 15, 1923, Amelia Earhart became the 16th woman to receive a pilot’s license. In 1928, Amelia was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. After twenty-one hours of flying, she landed in Wales with the rest of her flight team. Once back in the United States, Amelia was considered a hero. There was a parade in New York City that honored her flight, and she even met President Coolidge at the White House!

A Successful Flight Although she had a very successful trip across the Atlantic, and became very well-known, Amelia was still not satisfied. She wanted to make the trip across the Atlantic by herself. On May 20,

1932, she took off by herself in a bright red airplane. The flight was very dangerous because

of bad weather, thick clouds, and the plane’s wings became covered with ice. After fourteen

hours, she landed in Northern Ireland.

A Determined Pilot Amelia Earhart continued flying over the next several years. She broke many flight records

and became the most famous woman pilot in the world. Still not satisfied, Amelia desired to be

the first woman to fly around the entire world. She set out in June of 1937 from Florida. It was

during this journey that her airplane was lost and she was never seen again. Many people

searched for Amelia and her airplane, but they could not find them. We now celebrate her success as a pilot and historical icon on her

birthday each year.

•  pilot- a person who flies an airplane, helicopter, etc. (p 1)

•  hero- someone who is admired for courage or outstanding achievements (p 5)

•  journey- traveling from one place to another (p 7)

•  wounded- suffered injury (p 3)