America 250: Amelia Earhart – Leading Women Into the Air

Why It Matters

Earhart’s blend of daring feats and career savvy broke gender barriers in early aviation and created enduring structures that expanded professional opportunities for women in flight and related fields. Her legacy remains a touchstone for efforts to increase female representation in STEM and transportation industries.

Summary

Amelia Earhart rose from early passenger flights to become the first woman to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic in 1932, piloting a Lockheed Vega 5B. She built a self‑funded aviation career—financing flights through lectures, books, magazine articles and publicity stunts—while leveraging promoter George Putnam to shape her public image. Earhart helped institutionalize women’s participation in aviation by cofounding the Ninety‑Nines and mentoring other female pilots. Her high‑profile exploits both established her as an individual trailblazer and created practical pathways for other women to enter the field.

Original Description

Amelia Earhart didn't just break records. She cleared the clouds for every woman who ever dreamed of the sky. Join us at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum as curator Dorothy Cochrane shares the story of Amelia Earhart. Beyond her historic solo Atlantic crossing in the Lockheed Vega 5B, learn how Earhart and her partner George Putnam built a brand through books, lectures, and advocacy to keep her in the air.

As part of the America 250 initiative, we celebrate Earhart not just as a pilot, but as a promoter and pioneer who cleared the clouds for every woman who has followed in her flight path. ✈️

• Explore milestones: https://www.faa.gov/america250

• See more from this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5vHkqHi51DQK_dpFWRewkk87hn6W4S-0

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