The Life and Times of Amelia Earhart and her contributions to aviation.

The Life and Times of Amelia Earhart

Abstract : Amelia Earhart was a pioneer female aviator from the late 1920s and 1930s who briefly held the altitude record in 1923 and perhaps became more known for her disappearance than for her achievements in aviation . Although she was a competent pilot , she was not known to have been a particularly skilled aviator . Her life prior to becoming an aviator is one of moving from place to place and from one possible career to another . Although she spent nearly half her life flying and briefly

held the altitude record , she is most well known for her disappearance while attempting to circumnavigate the globe in 1937 . The search for answers to her disappearance continues today The Life and Times of Amelia Earhart

Introduction

Occasionally in history events occur that captivate the public and pulls it forward to learn more . Such events generally hold their secret fast , but that seldom prevents scholars from speculating and trying to resolve the surrounding mystery . Historic events such as the disappearance of the Lindbergh baby , the assassination of President John F . Kennedy , the sinking of the Titanic are just a few of the unsolved mysteries that continue to occupy the thoughts of scholars in their attempt to resolve intriguing situations . Certainly , the mystery as to what happened to Amelia Earhart , also called Lady Lindy ' because she looked so much like Charles Lindbergh , takes its place among these unsolved mysteries . This woman who became a giant of aviation is the focus of one of the most widely sought after mysteries of aviation history . Born on July 24 , 1897 in Atchison , Kansas , Amelia was the second of three children of Amelia Otis Earhart and her husband Samuel "Edwin " Stanton Earhart , an attorney , after their first child was stillborn one year earlier in 1896 . Her name was taken from her two grandmothers , Amelia Josephine Harris and May Wells Patton (Goldstein and Dillon 1997 ,

. 8 ) Amelia 's upbringing was unconventional because her mother was not interested in bringer her daughters up to be "nice little girls

Parents

Amelia 's parents , Amelia Otis Earhart and her husband Samuel "Edwin " Stanton Earhart , were good parents but the family had financial problems due to her father 's drinking . At one point , the family had at least two servants and Amelia was home schooled until the seventh grade by her mother and a governess , but Edwin 's financial situation and his job situation were precarious . The family moved several times , from Kansas to Iowa and from Iowa to Missouri and Chicago to live with friends . Amelia 's father , Edwin , was an alcoholic who was always haunted by his situation despite his attempts to deal with it through effort and treatment . He worked at the Rock Island Railroad until 1914 when his drinking forced him to retire . His family had a sizeable estate that was placed in trust for Amelia when her grandmother , Amelia Otis died which was also around 1914 . The fear was that Edwin 's...