Amelia Earhart was one of the most famous celebrities of her time. She was one of the world's first female pilots and certainly its most famous. She made daring flights and broke many flight records. She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean by herself. She broke the record for flying across the Atlantic Ocean in the shortest amount of time. She also flew higher in the sky than any other woman pilot of her time. She did all of this in the 1920s and 1930s - when women were expected to be in the house and take care of children. Women were rarely in the public spotlight. 

Flying Around the World

In 1937, Amelia decided to fly around the world. It was a very risky flight that had never been completed by a female pilot. Amelia, however, was fearless. Her flight left California on June 1, 1937. Amelia and her airplane made stops throughout South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. She was tired and sick during much of the flight, but carried on. At each stop she was greeted by admirers. On July 2, 1937, Amelia left New Guinea. She had to cross the Pacific Ocean to complete the flight. Amelia was supposed to land on tiny Howland Island for fuel. She couldn’t find it and never made it.

What Happened?

U.S. ships searched for her for over a week but could not find her. People were devastated. They assumed she had crashed somewhere in the huge ocean. Amelia would never be found. To this day, no one knows for sure what happened to Amelia Earhart.