Amelia Earhart Vanished 71 Years Ago Today

“I lay no claim to advancing scientific data other than advancing flying knowledge. I can only say that I do it because I want to.” — Amelia Earhart

Amelia is a real hero to me, I see her as a true pioneer in every sense of the word. We tend to forget today that once upon a time that aviation was once the stuff of cutting edge technology. But back in the 30s aircraft were very futuristic, so much so that in the 1936 film Things to Come H. G. Wells has a band of united airmen saving the world from the next dark age. Amelia Earhart was very much the face of not just aviation but the notion of progress itself. She wasn’t only exploring the frontiers of flight, but of equal rights for women as well. I think today, 71 years after she disappeared that we can still learn a great deal from her.

Above: The book jacket for World Flight, before the title was changed to Last Flight, June 30, 1937.

Above: Equal Rights, Volume 24, Number 2 (National Woman’s Party), January 15, 1938 which includes several articles authored by Amelia Earhart.

Images found via the George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers.