Enjoy learning a few new facts about the most famous female pilot of all time, Amelia Earhart.

If you search for the most famous female pilot in history, you’ll find Amelia Earhart. Amelia paved a path forward for female aviators who came after her and inspired other Rebel Girls to take flight! 

Did you know Amelia was nicknamed Lady Lindy? According to those who knew her, her tall frame and windswept hair were reminiscent of  Charles Lindbergh, another famous pilot, and this nickname is just one interesting fact about Amelia Earhart. Today, we’re covering seven interesting facts about Amelia’s life, contributions to women in aviation, and more.

Amelia Earhart saw her first plane when she was 10. 

Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas, on July 24, 1897. Today, we recognize this day as Amelia Earhart Day in honor of her accomplishments. She had one sister, and her family moved around a lot, eventually ending up in Chicago, where she graduated from Hyde Park High School in 1915. Did you know Amelia attended six high schools in four years because her family moved so much?

From a young age, Amelia was an adventurous girl. She loved spending time outdoors and exploring. She saw her first airplane when she was 10 at a state fair in Iowa. Although she didn’t realize it then, she would fall in love with flying and become the most famous female pilot in history.

Amelia enrolled in medical school — twice.

Even though Amelia is known as a world-famous pilot, it wasn’t always her plan. After graduating high school, she visited her sister in Toronto, Canada, and decided to become a nurse’s aide after seeing the effects of WWI firsthand. 

She enrolled at Columbia University for medical school in 1919 but left. In 1925, Amelia started school again at Columbia but eventually left because of finances. In the meantime, she worked as a teacher and a social worker.

She advocated for equality for women.

When she was a social worker, Amelia worked at the Denison House for immigrants in Boston. It was here that she was inspired to help pave the way for more educational opportunities for women and girls. In fact, she was in charge of adult education there. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Amelia advocated for equality for women in every aspect of life. If a man could do it, there was no reason a woman couldn’t too. 

Later, Amelia helped establish an organization for female pilots, the Ninety-Nines, and she served as its first president. In 1935, Earhart became a visiting professor at Purdue University and advocated for women in engineering and science.

She designed a clothing line for women.

Being the adventurous spirit that she was, Amelia knew that women’s fashions of the time weren’t exactly compatible with ladies who liked to be active and on the go.So, she created Amelia Fashions in the early 1930s. Her line included dresses, pants, suits, and more designed to be wrinkle-free. She even developed a two-piece flying suit for the Ninety-Nines featuring a unique design.

Amelia was an author.

In addition to advocating for women, working as a social worker, and being a pioneer in aviation, Amelia authored two books. The first book, 20 Hrs. 40 Min: Our Flight in the Friendship, was published in 1928. It told the story of her experience as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger. Later, Amelia would break another record by completing this flight on her own. 

Her second book, The Fun of It: Random Records of My Own Flying and of Women in Aviation, was published in 1932. It recounted Amelia’s adventures and told the stories of other female aviators.

She set new records as a female pilot.

Amelia Earhart is best known for her record-breaking flights across the world. When she flew for the first time in 1920, she declared, “As soon as I left the ground, I knew I myself had to fly.” Three years later, she became the 16th woman to get her pilot’s license.

Between 1928 and 1935, Amelia set many records. Not only was she the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, but she also was the first person to make the trip twice!

Amelia Earhart’s disappearance remains a mystery.

In 1937, Amelia set course for a flight across the Pacific Ocean from which she’d never return. There are many theories surrounding what actually happened, but there’s no guarantee we will ever know for sure. The most supported ideas suggest that she either ran into bad weather or ran out of fuel and crash-landed in the ocean. 

Eventually, the book Last Flight was published, containing letters, diary entries, charts, and other materials Amelia sent to her husband during this last historic trip. Amelia Earhart’s mysterious disappearance made her the talk of the aviation world for decades. While those last moments in her life are interesting, today we celebrate the accomplishments throughout her life that inspire and empower Rebel Girls. If you enjoyed learning these fun facts about Amelia, read more about this aviation legend in Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls or Rebel Girls Little Library.