The first of the ninety-nine: the life and disappearance of Amelia Earhart
She was born six years before the first flight of the Wright brothers and did much to turn the aircraft in a “vehicle”, found in his profession a love and, apparently, death and the mystery of her disappearance still haunts journalists and conspiracy theorists. She was congratulated by the presidents of the collection of the highest awards in several countries, she enthusiastically greeted on both sides of the Atlantic. All about Amelia Earhart — one of the first women pilots and the author of numerous world records, which is the subject of today’s edition of the rubric “History of science”.
However, all this could not happen. The first meeting of Amelia with the plane of an impression on a ten-year girl is not made. “It was something made out of rusty wires and wood just didn’t look interesting,” she recalled.
On the other hand, Earhart received the education (they are with my sister provided a lot more freedom in the choice of Hobbies than was customary, and she was a “ringleader”) allowed to want more than have got to share of their mothers or grandmothers.
The struggle for women’s right to choose what to do with my life, Earhart paid a lot of attention.
Amelia could devote himself to medicine, like Florence Nightingale, — the impression had been wounded in the First world, but close to the hospital where she worked as a nurse, there was a military airfield, and what he saw there changed the plans for Earhart.
The first flight, however, as a passenger, struck Amelia so that she realized that she should fly herself. But this was 1919, and places where you can learn for the pilot, especially the woman, were few.
However, it was expensive: I want to fly, buy a plane.
In General, Amelia was born in a rather prosperous family, a lawyer and daughter of a judge — but over time the father began to drink, his career went into decline, the family collapsed and Earhart had a hard time.
On his first camera — a used bright yellow biplane “Canary” — she managed to save in 1921. On it she set her first record on the typed height among women of 4200 meters. For this and the following aircraft, she had a lot of work on the ground: she worked in the hospital, played the banjo (learned this after spending two months in the hospital during the Spanish flu), photographed, worked as a cameraman in the movie, taught, and even drove the truck.
But not all of Earhart’s life revolved around airplanes: she managed to graduate from a good College, and Columbia University. He loved to read, taught myself the mechanics, knew several languages, French literature.
Sometimes her youth and beauty was used in almost diplomatic purposes — the first fame came to her after the first (for her and women in General) flight across the Atlantic. The name of the aircraft (“Friendship”) and route (USA — UK) had to show good relations between the two countries and the participation of women, her looks and mannerisms add to the event the public’s attention. Despite the fact that Earhart was positioned as a pilot, she herself from any involvement in flight repudiated: “I was carried like a sack of potatoes”.