Potter Point Amelia Earhart Peak Simmons Peak Thu, Jul 29, 2004		Etymology Amelia Earhart Peak Simmons Peak	Story	Photos / Slideshow	Maps: 1 2	Profile

"Earhart, Amelia (1897-1937?), was an American aviator. She became the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air and the first woman to fly across the Atlantic alone. She was also the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was awarded to her by the United States Congress.

Earhart was born in Atchison, Kans. She developed an interest in flying while working as a nurse's aide in Canada in 1918, during World War I. By 1922, she had received a pilot's license and had begun entering flying meets. In 1928, Earhart became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air when she flew as a passenger on a flight from Trepassey Bay, Nfld., to Burry Port, Wales, near Llanelli. In 1929, Earhart helped found the 'Ninety-Nines,' an international organization of women pilots that still exists. Earhart served as the first president of the organization from 1930 to 1933.

In 1932, Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She took off from Harbour Grace, Nfld., and landed near Londonderry, Ireland. In 1937, Earhart and a navigator, Fred Noonan, tried to fly around the world. On the hardest leg of the trip, their plane vanished near Howland Island in the central Pacific Ocean. No trace of Earhart, Noonan, or the plane was ever found. Some people believe the two of them drowned because their plane ran out of fuel. Others believe they were killed or captured by the Japanese. But there is no firm evidence to support either belief."
- World Book Encyclopedia (online)