Amelia Earhart

More than half a century after she disappeared while attempting to circumnavigate the world, Amelia Earhart's name continues to conjure up images of heroism, daring, and mystery. She became one of the most famous aviators in the world by setting --and breaking --records for both speed and distance. In recognition of her many accomplishments, Education World has identified some of the best Web sites dedicated to Amelia Earhart and her contributions to the field of aviation.

Amelia Earhart was born July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. She began flying at the age of 24 and went on to become one of the best-known aviators in history. Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and the first person to fly from Honolulu to California. In an era when careers and lifestyles for women were limited, Earhart, with her trademark leather flight jacket and her slacks, appeared daring, heroic, and larger-than-life. Her status evolved from hero to legend after she and her plane mysteriously disappeared, in 1937, while she was attempting to fly around the world.

Today, on her birthday, Education World directs readers to Web sites that educate about, illuminate, or simply celebrate the life of Amelia Earhart.

1. Naval Historical Center Amelia Earhart FAQ
   http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq3-1.htm
   For a complete, concise, introductory biographical sketch of Amelia Earhart, check out this page from the Web site of the Naval Historical Center, the official history program of the Department of the Navy.

2. Amelia Earhart: 1897-1937
   http://www.ionet.net/~jellenc/ae_intro.html
   This Web site, available in either English or Spanish, is nicely laid-out and easy to navigate. A detailed biographical essay illustrated with photographs, it is divided into three sections: The Early Years, The Celebrity, and The Last Flight. There are lists of filmed biographies, suggested books for further study, and links to related sites.

3. Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum
   http://www.ameliaearhartmuseum.org/index2.html
   Amelia Earhart was born at 223 North Terrace, Atchison, Kansas, to Amy Otis Earhart and Edwin Stanton Earhart, a lawyer whose later position as a railroad claims agent required extensive travel. Consequently, Amelia and her younger sister, Muriel, spent a good part of their early years in the home of their maternal grandparents, Amelia Otis and Judge Alfred Otis. The house is now the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, a non-profit entity. The excellent Web site includes information about the history of the house itself, a photo tour of the rooms, detailed biographical information on Earhart, news articles, and links to related sites.

4. Two Legends of Aviation: Amelia Earhart
   http://www.worldbook.com/fun/aviator/html/av3.htm
   This Web page is from the World Book Web site. Included are a various World Book articles, including a biography of Amelia Earhart, a description of Earhart's final flight, an account of Earhart's 1928 Friendship flight across the Atlantic Ocean, and a description of her 1932 solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

5. The Earhart Project
   http://www.tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/AEdescr.html
   For those curious about Earhart's final flight, this Web site has a great deal of information not readily found elsewhere. Visitors can view photographs, a map showing the planned flight path, and a motion picture of the July 2, 1937, departure from New Guinea --the last time Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were seen alive. This Web site is maintained by TIGHAR (The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery), a leading aviation archaeological foundation. TIGHAR began the Earhart Project in 1988 to scientifically investigate Earhart's disappearance.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ABOUT AMELIA EARHART

• Amelia Earhart: Queen of the Air
  http://www.aetv.com/class/admin/study_guide/archives/aetv_guide.0060.html
  This Web page is the companion to the A&E channel's Biography piece on Amelia Earhart. It contains numerous discussion questions and class projects intended for middle school and high school students. They need access to some biographical information to complete the activities.

• Saipan and the Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
  http://www.cnmi-guide.com/history/ww2/amelia/index.htm
  One of the many theories surrounding Amelia Earhart's 1937 disappearance in the central Pacific holds that Earhart might have been spying for the United States in order to learn more about Japanese military activities in the vicinity. This Web page --part of the Web site of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) in the Pacific Ocean --contains an interesting article that explores this hypothesis.

• FBI Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room: Amelia Earhart
  http://foia.fbi.gov/earhart.htm
  The FBI Reading Room contains numerous documents that have been scanned and processed in the PDF format (viewable with Adobe Acrobat Reader) and made available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act. Although the FBI never investigated Amelia Earhart's 1937 disappearance, the bureau does maintain a file of correspondence from individuals speculating about her fate, including a 1990 submission from TIGHAR consisting of a navigator's bookcase suspected of having been aboard Earhart's lost aircraft.

• The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots
  http://ninety-nines.org/
  In1929, the international organization known as the Ninety-Nines was founded by 99 licensed women pilots for mutual support and the advancement of aviation. Amelia Earhart was one of the founding members and served as the organization's first president, from 1930 to 1933. This comprehensive Web site contains a wealth of information about the Ninety-Nines; many of its members, including Earhart; and the contributions of women to the field of aviation.

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