Those daring young women in their flying machines.

On May 21, 1932, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic ocean.

It was five years to the day after Lindbergh's famous flight, when she took off in a Lockheed Vega, in an attempt to become the second person after Lindbergh (and first woman) to fly solo across the Atlantic. Starting from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, her flight lasted almost 15 hours, when she touched down in a pasture near Londonderry, Northern Ireland. With this flight she had broken several records ...the first woman to fly the Atlantic solo and only person to fly it twice...the longest non-stop distance flown by a woman...and a record for crossing in the shortest time. (The distance from Newfoundland to Ireland being considerably shorter than Lindbergh's route from Long Island to Paris, her flight time was correspondingly shorter than his 33 hours.)

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. Her grandparents raised her during her early childhood. From the age of ten, she lived with her mother and father. She was a tomboy - climbing trees, sledding in the snow, and hunting She saw her first airplane in 1908, at the Iowa State Fair, but her interest in aviation lay dormant for another ten years. She served as a nurse in World War One, and took her first ride in an airplane in 1920. After her flight with barnstormer Frank Hawks, she said:

"As soon as we left the ground, I knew I myself had to fly."

Indeed, within a few days, she took her first flying lesson, in a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny. Six months later, she bought her own airplane.

This birthday card from the studio reminds me of Amelia. Perhaps you know someone who has a great spirit of adventure as she did. Look for this card in our etsy shop and celebrate the daring and adventuresome spirit of great women like Amelia.

I leave you with a quote from Amelia made before her attempt at flying around the world, what has become know as her last flight. This quote sums up much of how I think she lived her life.

"Please know I am quite aware of the hazards...I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail their failure must be but a challenge to others."
Bravo Amelia!