Amelia Earhart

"Not much more than a month ago I was on the other shore of the Pacific, looking westward. This evening, I looked eastward over the Pacific. In those fast-moving days which have intervened, the whole width of the world has passed behind us -except this broad ocean. I shall be glad when we have the hazards of its navigation behind us." -Amelia Earhart. The only thing that Amelia wanted was to show the world something unexpected, and her love for flying helped her achieve the goal. Since July 24, 1897, in the little town of Atchison, Kansas, where she's grown up her whole life, Earhart has been remembered as one the most figured icons to remember in history. Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot who attempted to fly over the Atlantic Ocean, is devoted to her family and her love for flying, brave for taking on this sort a challenge so difficult, and determined to make sure she achieves the goal.

The love she has for her friends and family is indescribable and throughout her life has cared for them very much. "Until the age of 12, she lived with her sister and grandparents in Atchison, Kansas, and then she moved with her parents to various cities where her father was working until he was dismissed from the railroad company for alcoholism." (Explorers & Discoverers of the World). In Earhart's life, she faced obstacles with family such as her parents splitting up or her dad's drinking problem. She has never moved out of Kansas when she was little but her parents decided to move to different cities to start over from the divorce. "In 1924, Earhart's parents divorced and she bought a yellow roadster to bring her mother back to the east coast. To pay for the car, she sold her plane to a young man who took off while she watched and promptly crashed it and killed himself". (Explorers & Discoverers of the World). Earhart wanted and tried everything she could to get her parents back together, but instead, she gave up and she wanted to have her mom come back and live with her. The love she has for her mother is caring, kind and she grew up sticking with her side by side. Her mother has grown her into a confident woman who later on, married a man named George Putman who was a publicist and decided to make their dreams a reality. He wanted Amelia to be known and make history in America.

Even though Earhart has experienced many struggles throughout her childhood, her courage overpowers and is brave that she's finally pursuing her dream. Due to the fame she had in 1928 from the publicist, George Putman, she wanted more as time passed to 1932. "In April of 1928, she received an unexpected invitation to travel to New York to be interviewed by a committee headed by the publisher and publicist George Palmer Putman to select the first woman travel, as a passenger, on a plane across the Atlantic." (Explorers & Discoverers of the World). Since Earhart has never really been anywhere besides Kansas, it must've been a great experience for her. Since the interview, she then later decided to fly alone. "In 1932 Earhart decided to fly solo across the Atlantic to earn the fame that she had been unjustly given in 1928. She took off from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland on the evening of May 20, 1932." (Explorers & Discoverers of the World). Once she flew solo, everyone was so scared what would happen to her, but all of her accomplishes up to this point showed courage.

Amelia Earhart's journey through this type of experience has produced a positive outcome. Even though she didn't make it across the Atlantic Ocean, she has set the precedent for future aviators. "The American aviator, Amelia Mary Earhart Putnam (1897-1937) remains the world's best known woman pilot long after her mysterious disappearance during a round the world flight in 1937." (Encyclopedia of World Biography). She paved the way for women of future generations as it was recognized that women can now do the same job as men. "After the 1928 flight, Earhart turned her hobby of flying into a paying career. As a lecturer, author, and airline industry vice president she preached her message that flying would soon be an accepted part of everyday life." (The History Channel). To support this, Earhart was right where people can travel early in the morning and can come home the same day later that night. Not only is flying used for "everyday life" for human travel, it also is used for people that daily commute for certain things like our mail, or our news.

Amelia Earhart will forever be known as one of the most recognized figures in history with her courage to take on a challenge so difficult like flying. She has proven that many women to this day can put as much effort into a job as men can. Earhart's life has had challenges facing family, fame, and even overcoming how nervous she was to start flying. Earhart is a true hero due to her amazing techniques to show different ways that people can achieve their dream.

"Amelia Earhart" Contemporary Heroes and Heroines. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1990. Biography in Context. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. "Amelia Earhart." Explorers & Discoverers of the World. Gale, 1993. Biography in Context. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. "Amelia Mary Earhart." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Student Resources in Context. Web. 12 Dec, 2013. "Amelia Earhart." 2013. The History Channel website. Dec 12 2013, 11:46 http://www.history.com/topics/amelia-earhart "Earhart, Amelia." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History. Sonia Benson, Daniel E. Brannan, Jr., and Rebecca Valentine. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 475-478. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.