National Amelia Earhart Day 2023: Date, History, Facts

Amelia Earhart, who was born on this date in 1897, is one of America’s most beloved aviation pioneers, and on July 24, National Amelia Earhart Day, we commemorate her life and accomplishments. While many remember her for her mysterious disappearance during her highly anticipated flight around the globe, her life was filled with accomplishments and innovation. Discover the numerous contributions she made to the world of aviation by reading on.

The background of National Amelia Earhart Day

National Amelia Earhart Day honours the life of the renowned American aviator Amelia Earhart. The 24th of July was chosen in honour of her birthday, but no other details regarding the origin of the holiday are known.

Amelia Earhart’s passion for aviation began with her first flight in California in December 1920 with World War II pilot Frank Hawks. In January 1921, shortly after this life-altering experience, Earhart began flight training with female pilot Neta Snook. Later that year, she purchased her first aircraft, a yellow Kinner Airster she dubbed ‘The Canary.’

She obtained her National Aeronautics Association licence in December 1921, just one year after her first flight, and from that point on, the sky was the limit! The first of her many accomplishments was in 1922, when she became the first female aviator to fly solo at 14,000 feet.

In 1932, Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Charles Lindbergh was the only other individual in the world to have accomplished this prior to that time. The Distinguished Flying Cross was bestowed to Earhart as the first female by Congress.

In 1929, Earhart helped establish The Ninety-Nines, an international non-profit organisation with the mission of advancing women in aviation. The Ninety-Nines, which was founded by 99 women pilots at the time, continues to inspire the next generation of women pilots through education, scholarships, mentoring, and general support attached to a love of flight.

On June 1, 1937, Earhart began her doomed voyage around the world from Oakland, California. On July 2, she and navigator Fred Noonan departed New Guinea with 7,000 miles remaining in their voyage. Nonetheless, this would be their final day alive. Their disappearance is still a mystery, despite the numerous hypotheses that have been proposed.

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5 OTHER MYSTERIOUS PLANE DISAPPEARANCES

In 1947, a British South American Airways flight en route to Santiago, Chile transmitted the message ‘STENDEC’ to air-traffic control and then vanished; over 50 years later, plane wreckage was discovered along with the deciphered World War II code: “Severe Turbulence Encountered, Now Descending, Emergency Crash-landing.”

More than 50 aircraft and ships are said to have inexplicably vanished in the Bermuda Triangle, a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by the Atlantic coast of Florida, Bermuda, and the Greater Antilles.

In 1944, the flight transporting famous American trombonist Glenn Miller vanished during a short flight from Bedford (United Kingdom) to Paris.

British South American Airways lost two flights in 1948 and 1949, but no debris was ever recovered from either incident.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 en route to Beijing disappeared in 2014 after being traced by military radar for an hour after losing contact with air traffic control.

NATIONAL AMELIA EARHART DAY DATES