Adventure in the 1920’s
Amelia Earhart
By: Lindsay
A small, intelligent face was enveloped by bouncy red curls, which surround Amelia Earhart’s face. She had a smile that lit up the world and a heart that warmed it. Cameras clicked and last words of encouragement and goodbyes flew her way. Her slim, athletic body slipped into the cockpit of the small biplane and she turned to wave like the many times she had before, even though she didn’t know it was her last. The small engine roared to life as she prepared for takeoff. Speeding toward the horizon Amelia bounced again and again before the air pulled the “Canary” into the vast open sky, which held the dreams, goals, and fates of her life. Flying toward her destiny the puffy, white clouds split and engulfed Amelia Earhart as she pushed toward her last challenge, last adventure, and last flight. During the 1920’s, Amelia Earhart was the “Queen of the Air” who had a background splashed with excitement, a flying career filled with adventure, and even after she was gone her inspiration and dreams lived on for future generations.
Amelia Earhart was a unique gem ever since she was born; she was a woman ready for adventure and filled to the brim with ambition, even if she failed she took her failure as a challenge and tried again. To begin with Amelia Earhart’s background was jar of marbles; each marble you pulled out would be an event that would include one of the many adventures she experienced during her childhood. Amazing Amelia was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. She was a women with adventure painted across her face. The tall, slim, redhead was born to fly, yet when she glanced at an airplane the first comment that popped into her head was, “It was a thing of rusty wire and wood and looked not at all interesting.”(Amelia Earhart biography) Even if aviation didn’t interest Amelia Earhart at first sight, she soon lived for the day to actually fly one. By age twenty, her love for aviation only had grown more and her dream came true; on December 28, 1920 a man of the name Frank Hawks gave Amelia Earhart the ride of her life. Because of the ride her life was forever changed (Amelia Earhart biography). The air around Amelia seemed to come to a standstill. Birds tweeted in the distance and the whir of an airplane engine came closer and closer. Even Amelia’s breath ceased at this moment, for as the little red dot transformed into an airplane of full size swooping up and down, disappearing into the clouds and then finally soared over head and did circles. Round and round it went until Amelia and her friend beside her were dizzy, but it suddenly dived coming straight at them. Screaming, her friend ran off with the terror left behind her. But Amelia, her heart thumping like a bass drum stood her ground tall and proud. Seconds after Amelia stopped with her heart squeezing with fear and excitement, the red plane twisted and swept toward the horizon where it had come from. The evening sun had slunk off the end of the world long before, but the bright reds, pinks, and oranges streaking the sky left evidence of the same sun that had risen and set since the day she was born. Long after her bright eyes still lingered in the direction the small plane disappeared, for her dreams of becoming an aviator had exploded and her mind wandered to where she was a skilled hero, soaring over the open sky, always trying again. (Amelia Earhart Biography) Earhart was a classified as a tomboy in her younger age. She loved suspense and the daring things to do outdoors. For example, She “belly-slammed” her sled to go downhill, hunted rats with a .22 rifle, and put together a scrapbook with successful women in the male-oriented field like law and advertising. She was always an abnormal teenager and was ready to take on about anything including a career in aviation. Next, In Amelia Earhart’s days leading to her famous career in flying she attended and graduated many schools and prepared herself for her goal in aviation, which was spread out before her, leading her to her future. Earhart graduated Hyde Park High School in Chicago in 1915 and a year later she continued her schooling at Ognontz finishing school in October 1916 in Philadelphia. Amelia didn’t graduate from Ognontz because she became interested in helping with the war effort; soon after she went to college and a social worker at the Denison House in Boston. On January 3, 1921 Amelia Earhart started her first flying lessons with an instructor Neta Snook, “As soon as I left the ground, I knew I myself had to fly” Amelia Earhart (Library of Congress). All this time she was saving up for a biplane and after six months she purchased a yellow one nicknamed “Canary”. The warm, fall breeze whipped back Earhart’s red curly hair as she awaited the moment the wheels of her small biplane would carry into the sky, where the clouds formed shapes that decorated it. Small buttons were spread out before her, her hands hovering above them ready to keep control of her precious “Canary”. Her instructor sat beside her, intent eyes on the small boxed window in front and an open ear for when Amelia Earhart needed help. Butterflies flounced around in Earhart’s stomach as she lifted off the ground where her hands controlled her movements and her eyes were sharp and keen ready to do her daily route without a trouble. The open sky surrounded her, as she glided out of sight from the rest of the world, soaring toward the heavens with the steam from her biplane swirling out behind her. Determined to continue her career in aviation and be successful, Amelia Earhart was one of the few women to graduate from Curtiss school of aviation. Later in life as her flying career continued she decided to get married. George Putnam accompanied Earhart on some of her famous flights and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. On February 7, 1931 Amelia Earhart and George Putnam were married, yet Earhart looked at their marriage as a “partnership” with “duel control”. Even after the couple was married and her schooling was completed Earhart still excelled and succeeded even more in aviation.
Amelia Earhart was a woman of success from the start and all her life her love for aviation only grew as she began to train for her challenging, but famous flights, push the extra mile in other areas of business like medical, and prepare to set records that left the world’s jaw hanging open in awe. One way Amelia Earhart trained was experiencing the sky with her well known biplane. With a nervous smile splashed across Earhart’s rosy face, she jumped aboard her biplane and disappeared inside. Turning to wave; it would be Earhart’s last goodbye to her friends, fans, family, and flight career. Rumbling to life the roaring engine spit out black smoke, which coiled out like a snake from behind. Earhart sat before the puzzle of buttons with her earmuffs on, closing out the rest of the world, and ready for takeoff. Smash, thud, clunk the small plane bounced again and again before it escalated into the cloudy, late afternoon sky toward her last challenge, last dream, and last plane ride. The distant crackle of the radio buzzed in her ears as she pushed buttons left, right, up, and own to keep the plane upright. She zoomed through the sky following the invisible line where the worlds’ met. Wide, blue ocean surrounded her below as the dot of Howland Island appeared on the distant horizon (Amelia Earhart Biography). Amelia Earhart trained by practicing flying through the vast open sky to become a better pilot, because “practice makes perfect”. Also during the years in which Amelia Earhart trained, World War l was occurring and the wounded came by the hundreds. Amelia Earhart felt it was her need to go and help the wounded, crippled soldiers. She left in her second year of schooling and aviation training to become a nurse aide in Toronto, Canada at the Spadina Military Hospital.
Her work was voluntary, but she still did all she could to help the many British and French pilots that fought every day in ferocious pain basking away the last days of their lives. Blood stained clothes laid sprawled across the room, the bad scent of medicine hung in the air and the hurting soldiers lay in distress on the blinding white cots. Mumbles and murmurs were heard from the bed laden men from the service, but the nurses whisked around and hushed them. Bring them medicine to ease the pain, dry, clean clothes, warm food them fulfilled their hungry stomach, and drinks to wash it all down. As hard as the nurses and doctors tried, the wounded kept coming and the nurses kept feeding and cleaning the blood and dirt stained men. They did everything they could to keep these helpful men in comfort while they were in such a sorry state because they knew they were out there in the war, risking their lives to save our country (History Net. com). As the war raged on Earhart and her friends would watch in amazement, as the pilots twisted and turned overhead training at the Royal Flying Cross. In November 1918 the war finally ended, but this day was not forgotten and is remembered as Armistice Day. Later, after Amelia Earhart’s voluntary work was finished she began to set records one after another. Her first record was in 1922 when she became the first women to fly to an altitude of 14, 000 feet. Next, in 1928 Amelia Earhart flew as the first women passenger over the Atlantic Ocean. After that Earhart placed third in a woman’s air derby later called the “Powder Puff Derby”. Later she was soon questioned if she wanted to attempt flying over the Atlantic Ocean as a solo she replied, “Yes!” (Biography Amelia Earhart). On May 30, 1932 Earhart took off from a small airport with the goal of reaching Paris flashing in her mind. When she reached home again the media surrounded her; cameras flashing and people yelling. The empty farm yard turned into a memorable event. Laughing and yelling her fans screamed words of encouragement and approval. Stepping out of her trusty biplane, Amelia Earhart flashed a smile that screamed thanks to her audience. Before long, Amelia Earhart received the Medal of Honor by the known President, Herbert Hoover. Even after Earhart crossed the Atlantic she continued to set more records, yet she was known for inspiration toward everyone who knew about her to do what you want to do most even if it seems impossible, Amelia Earhart “Inspired others to follow dreams” (Library of Congress) Amelia Earhart was a perfect picture hero most of her life for her aviation records and inspiration, but even after she was gone her legacy lived on for the future generations.
During the last few months of Amelia Earhart’s life she still continued to do what she loved, flying, but when one of her challenges leads to death, she is not forgotten and her legacy still thrives today. First, “Queen of the Air” Amelia Earhart was on for her final, monumental challenge in 1937; her mission was to fly around the world with Fred Noonan as her navigator. Over the years Earhart trusted her small biplane, but it soon would die, yet according to Amelia Earhart “I have a feeling that there is one more good flight left in its system” (Amelia Earhart-Biography). It took many weeks of planning and preparing for the trip ahead of them, but they took all concerns and hazards into consideration and encouraged themselves that they could do it. “Please know I am aware of the hazards. I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be a challenge to others” (Amelia Earhart). On July 2, 1937 Earhart and Noonan left Miami with the goal of making it to New Guinea for gas then on to Howland Island in the Pacific for gas again. Second, somewhere along the line their planning faulted and they were cast into the deep blue sea, never to be found or evidence of them anywhere again, even still today many scientists are trying to uncover the mystery of Earhart and Noonan’s sudden disappearance. The Coast Guard lost contact with Earhart’s radio; “We must be on you, but we cannot see you, fuel is running low.” “We are running North and South” (Amelia Earhart Biography). These were Amelia Earhart’s last words before she disappeared. Her dates of death is July 2, 1937, but know one can be sure because of their lack of evidence and facts about what ever happened to her. The search for Earhart started immediately and the most extensive sea and air search in history over the 29,000 miles that Earhart had covered. Two weeks later the operation was called off, but Earhart was not forgotten. Third, later on Amelia Earhart was being recognized in many ways. In 1938, a light house was constructed on Howland Island in memory of Amelia Earhart.
Streets, schools, and airports across the country were named after Earhart, and awards are given in her name. Although Amelia has passed on, her courage, visions, and ground-breaking achievements in women and aviation shine like diamonds. “Amelia Earhart has inspired generations of women to do things that had never been done by women before” (America’s Stories America’s Library). Earhart was a leader by trying new challenges and inspiring others to do the same. Dreams of achievement and success lead Amelia Earhart to her heroism, and on her path there, she encouraged others to follow. Amelia Earhart was a woman of challenges. Amelia Earhart was a woman of following dreams. Amelia Earhart was a woman of adventure.
Back in the 1920’s people became heroes because of adventure. Amelia Earhart was only one of the many hero’s who lived for adventure. Pushing forward and trying her best she excelled in her schooling and in aviation. Soon after her motto became to live and fly because her life simply revolved around the thrill of flying; soaring through the open sky leaving all your cares in the world behind and living in the moment. Years after she passed away Amelia Earhart stilled sparkled in American History as a hero; a women who made a difference in a women’s society and aviation. Her challenging goals and dreams didn’t stop Earhart to inspire others, even when her legacy was the only thing left of her.
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