American aviator Amelia Earhart: her career, and the mystery of her vanishing flight

In the early 20th century, Amelia Earhart captivated the world with her daring aviation stunts, becoming a household name when she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. However, she is now best known for her mysterious disappearance in 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the world by plane.

On July 2, 1937, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, flew a Lockheed Model 10-E Electra bound for Howland Island, a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. But they never arrived. The press went wild with the story, and even US President Theodore Roosevelt launched a search and rescue mission, with his wife Eleanor on board one of the ships.

After a fortnight, the search was called off. Despite repeated attempts to find the missing aviators and numerous reports of radio signals from Earhart, they were never found. To this day, their fate remains one of aviation's greatest mysteries, with conspiracy theories abounding.

Born in Kansas in 1897, Earhart grew up in a somewhat precarious household. Her father was a troubled character and an alcoholic, and her parents burned through their inheritance money, leaving her with little stability. The Earharts also shied away from social conventions, and Amelia's mother dressed her and her sister in bloomers rather than white pinafores.

Earhart was a thrill-seeker from a young age. When she was ten, she saw a plane for the first time at a state fair—although her opinion of the machine was far from flattering. She didn't show much interest in aviation at first, instead pursuing a career in medicine after the First World War. But funds ran out, and she began teaching in New York instead.

It wasn't until 1920 that Earhart first flew in a plane. It was a life-changing experience for her, and she determined to become a pilot, despite facing many obstacles. Money was a large barrier, and she worked a variety of odd jobs to pay for flight lessons. She also struggled to find male pilots willing to take her up, due to social propriety issues.

In 1928, Earhart made headlines again when she flew across the Atlantic as a passenger on a record-setting flight. Her exploits captured the public's imagination, leading to commercial opportunities and even her own fashion line. Her publisher and romantic partner, George Putnam, played a significant role in her success, as they both shared a desire to break frontiers.

Earhart set many records in the 1920s and 1930s, but her final mission was to be her biggest: circumnavigating the world. After a botched take-off in Hawaii during the first attempt, she and Noonan set out a second time in 1937. This time, they traveled eastward around the world to avoid monsoon season.

The journey began well, with Earhart writing newspaper articles and winning wagers as she flew across continents. When they arrived at Papua New Guinea, only Howland Island remained. Unfortunately, they needed to refuel, and poor weather and radio transmission problems hampered their efforts.

On July 2, they took off from Lae Airfield, but never arrived at Howland Island. It is believed they ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Despite extensive searching, their bodies were never found, and Earhart remains one of the most famous missing persons in history.

List of influential women throughout history

An overview of 100 women who have had a significant impact on world history, from well-known figures like Eleanor Roosevelt and Marie Curie to lesser-known names.