Amelia Earhart was a pioneer. This doesn’t mean she traveled west in a covered wagon or lived in a log cabin. It means she had a special spirit. She liked to be the first to do new things.
In the 1920s, Amelia became a pilot. This was in a time when the airplane was still a new invention. Not many people knew how to fly one. It was even more unusual for a woman to fly planes. But Amelia set many flying records to prove that she was the best.
Amelia helped start the airline business in the United States. She also was a writer, a speaker, and a fashion designer. But it all started from her love of flying.
Amelia was a pioneer in another way, too. She thought that women deserved to have the same rights as men. This was at a time when women were fighting for the right to vote. Many people still thought women were not strong enough or smart enough to have jobs outside the house. But Amelia’s actions proved that bravery and brains were not for males only.
Unfortunately, Amelia did not live to see old age. Just before her fortieth birthday, she tried to set a new record. She wanted to be the first woman to fly all the way around the world. But Amelia and her plane went down somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. She was never seen again.
Most people remember Amelia Earhart for the last event of her life. But this is a story about everything that came first. |