Amelia Earhart

The daughter of a lawyer whose struggles with alcohol and unstable finances kept the family moving, Earhart grew up independent and athletic, keeping a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about women who had succeeded in fields dominated by men. During World War I she worked as a nurse's aide in Toronto, where caring for wounded Canadian pilots sparked her interest in aviation. She briefly attended Columbia University, then took flying lessons in California from instructor Neta Snook and bought her first airplane, a used Kinner Airster, in 1921. Within a year she had set a women's altitude record of about 14,000 feet, and in 1923 she became the 16th woman to receive a pilot's license from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.

Earhart gained national attention in 1928 when she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air, flying as a passenger with pilots Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon. The flight brought fame and a book, 20 Hrs., 40 Min., but she was uncomfortable with the publicity because she had not handled the controls. Determined to make the crossing herself, she flew solo from Newfoundland to a pasture in Northern Ireland on May 20 - 21, 1932, becoming the first woman - and only the second person after Charles Lindbergh - to fly the Atlantic alone. The feat earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded to a woman for the first time, along with honors from several countries.

In the following years Earhart set more long-distance records. In January 1935 she became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland, and later that year she made solo flights from Los Angeles to Mexico City and from Mexico City to Newark. She married publisher George P. Putnam in 1931; Putnam, who had organized her 1928 flight, managed her career and public image. Earhart helped found the Ninety-Nines, an organization for women pilots, and served as its first president. She also took a position at Purdue University as a visiting career counselor for women and helped arrange funding for a twin-engine Lockheed Electra 10E that she would use for a round-the-world attempt.

On June 1, 1937, Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan departed on an eastward circumnavigation of the globe. After numerous stops they reached Lae, New Guinea, and on July 2 set out for Howland Island, a tiny speck in the central Pacific. They never arrived. A massive search by the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard failed to find the plane or the crew, and Earhart was declared legally dead on January 5, 1939. The cause of the disappearance remains unresolved, and competing theories have kept her story in public discussion for decades.

Amelia Earhart was born on August 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas, United States. In Cardology (Destiny Cards), August 24, 1897 corresponds to the Two of Clubs, making the Two of Clubs her Birth Card.

In numerology, the name adds another layer to the birth-date profile. The letters of a person’s name are used to explore inner motivation, personality, expression, and the qualities they bring into relationships and everyday life. Explore how her original name Amelia Mary Earhart influences her life and personality.