National Amelia Earhart Day Date in the current year: July 24, 2024

Amelia Earhart was born in Atchinson, Kansas on July 24, 1897. She developed an interest in flying while working as a nurse aid at Spadina Military Hospital in Toronto, where she heard stories from military pilots. Earhart’s interest grew even more when she attended the Canadian National Exhibition, which included an exhibition flight by a WWI fighter ace.

The event that cemented her commitment to flying was a 10-minute flight with the record breaking USAAS aviator Frank Hawks. In December 1920, Fawkes took a 23-year-old Earhart on her first ever flight at a state fair in California, and that flight changed her life. She resolved to learn how to fly and took her first lesson on January 3, 1921.

Earhart’s first flying instructor was pioneer aviator Neta Snook, who worked at Bert Kinner’s airfield in Los Angeles. Six months later Earhart, having saved enough money by working odd jobs, purchased a secondhand Kinner Aster biplane, which she nicknamed The Canary due to its bright chrome yellow color.

Earhart was issued a pilot’s license on May 16, 1923, becoming the 16th woman in the US to receive a license from the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale). After that, her aviation career came to a brief halt due to a money shortage, divorce, and health problems. However, Earhart maintained her interest in flying and was even elected vice president of the Boston chapter of the American Aeronautical Society.

In May 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first man to complete a successful solo transatlantic flight. Inspired by this feat, Amy Guest expressed interest in sponsoring a project that had a woman flying or being flown across the Atlantic. It was Earhart who was eventually chosen for the project. In June 1928, she accompanied Wilmer Stultz and his co-pilot Louis Gordon on a transatlantic trip as a passenger.

Although Earhart did not pilot the aircraft, the flight made her a celebrity, and she used the status to promote aviation with a special focus on the role of women in the field. She also honed her piloting skills and set a number of records. For instance, Earhart became the first woman pilot to fly solo across North America and back in August 1928 and accomplished a transatlantic solo flight in May 1932, becoming the first woman to do so.

Earhart went missing in 1937 during an attempt to become the first woman to fly around the globe. She was last seen on July 2, three weeks before her 40th birthday, and was officially declared dead on January 5, 1939. Earhart presumably died in the Pacific, but her disappearance remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of the 20th century.

The birthday of Amelia Earhart is celebrated as National Amelia Earhart Day to honor her contribution to the development of aviation and paving the way for other female aviators. There are many ways for you to observe the holiday: you can learn more about this amazing woman, her first instructor Neta Snook and other female aviators, read one of Earhart’s books, and encourage girls and young women around you to not be afraid to chase their dreams citing Amelia Earhart as an example.