The Real Story of Amelia Earhart

In the field of aviation, few figures loom larger in the popular imagination than Amelia Earhart. Over her relatively brief 10-year career, the legendary aviatrix became an icon and inspiration for women everywhere, becoming the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo and setting dozens of long-distance flight records. Her mysterious disappearance during an attempted round-the-world flight in 1937 continues to fuel speculation to this day, ensuring her legacy will live on for years to come. But before she was a world-famous superstar, Amelia Earhart was a struggling social worker and pilot living in Massachusetts whose earliest flights were instrumental in the establishment of Dennison Field, among the first commercial airports in the United States. Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, the eldest of two daughters born to Amy Otis and Edwin Earhart, a lawyer. From an early age Amelia displayed a love of adventure and the outdoors, spending long days with her younger sister Muriel exploring the neighbourhood, collecting insects, and engaging in all sorts of rough-and-tumble play - including building a roller-coaster-like ramp that provided Amelia with her first taste of flight. But aside from a few idyllic years spent in Atchison, much of Amelia’s childhood was characterized by hardship and constant movement: “There are two kinds of stones, as everyone knows, one of which rolls. Because I selected a father who was a railroad man it has been my fortune to roll.” When Edwin Earhart’s law practice failed in 1905, he took a job as a claims officer for the Rock Island Railroad and moved the family to Des Moines, Iowa. At first all seemed well for the family, with Edwin quickly earning a promotion. But he... Author: Gilles Messier Host: Simon Whistler Editor: Daven Hiskey Producer: Samuel Avila Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices