Amelia Earhardt
(aka Carley K.)

Hi, me name is Amelia Earhardt. I was born on July 24, 1897. I was living during World War I and the Great Depression. I became famous for being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic and for breaking and making flying records.

I've always loved adventure. I was originally from Kansas. In Kansas, as a child, I would play with my sister. After school we would dress up in boy clothes and we did things girls didn't do. I remember once my sister and I were sledding in the snow. A carriage passed by. I didn't stop. I went right under the horse.

After I graduated from high school, I volunteered as a nurse's aid with the Red Cross. I took care of the injured soldiers who had fought in the war. Nursing inspired me to go to Columbia University in New York to study medicine.

In summer 1920 I went out to join my parents in California to continue studying medicine. My father took me to an air show in Long Beach. That's where I fell in love with airplanes. Very few women flew in airplanes then, but I worked hard, saved my money, and took my first flying lessons.

I did learn to fly and eight years later I was invited to command the Friendship Flight which would cross the Atlantic Ocean from Boston to England. While it was great to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic by air, I wanted to be a pilot. I used my fame to raise the money I needed for other flights. I broke 14 records, including being the first person to fly from California to Hawaii. I thought it was valuable to fly to different countries because it helped people get to know each other and maybe that will bring peace to the world.

My last flight was to fly around the world at the equator. It was a very long flight. I left Miami, Florida in June of 1937. I had made my way to South America, across the Atlantic, across the continent of Africa, to India, to Australia, and to New Guinea. I disappeared during  the flight between New Guinea and Howland Island.

I would like to be remembered because I showed people that girls can be heroes and adventurers.

Return to "BIOGRAPHY" Home Page