The Explorers: Amelia Earhart By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.12.16 Word Count 632 A portrait of Amelia Earhart, Photo: Wikimedia Commons/US Library of Congress Synopsis: Pilot Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Kansas. She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She was also the first person to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In 1937, she disappeared. Early Life Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Kansas. Her parents had a troubled marriage. The family moved around frequently. After high school, Earhart volunteered with the Red Cross. There, she met pilots who had been hurt in the war. Early Career In 1920, a short plane ride inspired Earhart to learn to fly. She eventually saved up enough money to take flying lessons. Earhart read everything she could find on flying. She spent much of her time at the airfield. In the summer of 1921, Earhart purchased a bright yellow biplane. On October 22, 1922, she broke the world altitude record for women pilots. In 1923, Amelia Earhart got her pilot's license. She was only the 16th woman to do that.
First Transatlantic Flight In April 1928, Amelia received a phone call asking her whether she would like to fly over the Atlantic Ocean. She became the first woman on a transatlantic flight. This time though, she was only a passenger. The pilot did all the flying, not Earhart. It made her feel bad. Earhart was now famous. Still, she wanted to become a respected pilot. Shortly after her flight as a passenger, she successfully flew alone across North America. In 1931, she set a world altitude record. She also married her husband that year. First Solo Flight Across The Atlantic Earhart began planning to fly across the Atlantic Ocean herself. In May of 1932, she took off from Canada. She landed in Northern Ireland in Europe. Her flight lasted almost 15 hours. It made her the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean. She won many awards. Not long after, Earhart also flew over the Pacific Ocean. She was the first person to fly over both oceans. Between 1930 and 1935, she set seven women's speed and distance records. Earhart's Final Flight In 1935, Amelia Earhart bought a Lockheed Electra L-10E airplane. She wanted to travel around the world. She would not be the first person to do it. Though, she would be the first to do it around the equator. The journey would follow the line that goes around the center of the earth. Earhart's first attempt failed. Next, she tried again with a navigator named Fred Noonan. They took off from California. They eventually touched down on June 29, 1937, in New Guinea, not far from Australia. The flier's plan was to head to a tiny island between Hawaii and Australia. It would be hard to find from up above. Earhart and Noonan decided to use the stars to navigate. Earhart and Noonan left from New Guinea on July 2, 1937. They had no short-range radio equipment. Weather conditions were foggy. They could have even had incorrect maps. As Earhart and Noonan reached what they thought was the island, they looked for signals from a U.S. Coast Guard ship that was stationed there. They were unable to contact the ship. Earhart's last broadcast was at 8:43 am. Disappearance And Theories What happened to Earhart remains a mystery. She was eventually declared dead.
There are many theories about why Earhart and Noonan disappeared. There are two ideas that seem most likely. One is that Earhart's plane crashed and the two died at sea. Investigators think the plane simply ran out of gas. The second theory came out later. Evidence was found on an island. Handmade tools and bits of clothing were found. People think they could have belonged to Earhart and Noonan. This would mean they landed and died on the island.
Quiz 1 Which event happened first in Amelia's life? Amelia volunteered with the Red Cross. Amelia purchased a bright yellow biplane. Amelia saved money to take flying lessons. Amelia became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. 2 Why did Amelia feel bad when she became the first woman on a transatlantic flight? She did not like the pilot who flew the plane. She did not have an opportunity to fly the plane. She started to believe she would never be a respected pilot. She discovered how difficult it can be to fly across an ocean. 3 Read the first paragraph of the section "Earhart's Final Flight." Fill in the blank. An "equator" is a... line that goes all the way around the earth. line that goes straight through the center of the earth. line that shows pilots where the center of the earth is. line that pilots follow around the earth so they don't get lost. 4 Read the following sentence. There are many theories about why Earhart and Noonan disappeared. Which word or phrase could replace "disappeared" without changing its meaning? died got lost vanished quit flying
Answer Key 1 Which event happened first in Amelia's life? Amelia volunteered with the Red Cross. Amelia purchased a bright yellow biplane. Amelia saved money to take flying lessons. Amelia became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. 2 Why did Amelia feel bad when she became the first woman on a transatlantic flight? She did not like the pilot who flew the plane. She did not have an opportunity to fly the plane. She started to believe she would never be a respected pilot. She discovered how difficult it can be to fly across an ocean. 3 Read the first paragraph of the section "Earhart's Final Flight." Fill in the blank. An "equator" is a... line that goes all the way around the earth. line that goes straight through the center of the earth. line that shows pilots where the center of the earth is. line that pilots follow around the earth so they don't get lost. 4 Read the following sentence. There are many theories about why Earhart and Noonan disappeared. Which word or phrase could replace "disappeared" without changing its meaning? died got lost vanished quit flying