Amelia Earhart, when the sky's the limit

To commemorate International Women’s Day, today we bring you the story of Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot to break multiple records in the world of aviation.

Amelia’s passion for aviation began during World War I when she and her sister volunteered as nurses for those wounded in combat. But it wasn’t until after settling in her hometown that she began her first aviation classes in the hand of Neta Snook, a pioneer woman in aviation. During this time Amelia faced different accidents due to the poor safety of the engines of the time, but nothing made her stop.

At the end of 1922, Amelia managed to buy her first airplane and it was with this that she managed to break her first altitude record by flying at 14,000 feet. This was only the beginning since for the following year she obtained her license as a pilot and by 1927 she was already recognized as one of the best American pilots.

It was during 1928 that Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly over the Atlantic, being part of the crew on a plane that traveled 3,200 kilometers between Newfoundland and Wales.

She repeated this journey a second time and on that occasion alone in 1932, becoming the first woman to complete this dangerous journey unaccompanied.

Besides, Amelia managed to set a new speed record by traveling to Ireland in just 13 hours and 50 minutes, thus being the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross from the United States Congress.

Source: National Geographic

In 1937, Amelia announced that her next record would be to go around the world following the Ecuador line (an unusual route for the time). This journey would be made aboard a Lockheed Electra 10-E twin-engine. The journey began on June 1, 1937, and followed the following route: Miami, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Africa, Red Sea, Pakistan, India, Burma, Bangkok, Singapore, and Indonesia

It was on July 3 on their journey between New Guinea and Indonesia when they lost communication with the aircraft and disappeared.

Despite all the search and rescue efforts by the United States government, the bodies and the aircraft were not found. This story has become the subject of many speculations, from an official version that says they ran out of fuel and crashed, while others claim they made a crash landing in the Phoenix Islands and survived for a time as castaways.

Did you know the story of Amelia Earhart, tell us what you think?