American Women! exhibit--Amelia Earhart

"Decide.whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying."

Amelia Earhart is remembered today because she vanished while on an around-the-world flight in 1937. But her true claim to fame should rest in her accomplishments as one of the most renowned, outspoken, and daring women of her day.

Dubbed "Lady Lindy" (a female Charles Lindbergh), she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; she broke many records for speed and altitude; and she received numerous aviation awards. Earhart cut a dashing figure in tailored shirts, jackets and slacks, but was proud to be a woman. The embodiment of equal rights and self-reliance, she too realized that "[Women] must pay for everything.They get more glory than men for comparable feats. But, also, women get more notoriety when they crash."

In the 1990s, an international recovery group conducted excavations on the tiny island of Nikumaroro in the Pacific Ocean. Objects recovered were aircraft parts from a Lockheed 10, a woman's shoe from the 1930s, and a tin can label--tantalizing clues to suggest that the remains of Earhart's plane may yet be found. Stay tuned.

FLYING SUIT owned and worn by Amelia Earhart. The black cotton jumpsuit is embroidered on the back with the number "381," wings and a two-bladed propeller, and "SS."
-- On loan from the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC

U.S. NAVY REPORT (facsimiles) of the search for the missing Amelia Earhart, July 2 through July 18, 1937
PAGES of US NAVY REPORT show the first page and a Search Plotting Sheet
-- From the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington DC

AUTOGRAPHED BOOK, 20 Hrs. 40 Min.: Our Flight in Friendship, by Amelia Earhart 1928
CARTOON (reproduction), "Yesterday's Hero, and Today's" by John T. McCutcheon of the Chicago Tribune
PHOTOGRAPHS of Amelia Earhart taken by Dick Whittington
-- On loan from James Hicks, Iowa City IA

LETTER from Amelia Earhart to Herbert Hoover regarding an invitation to dinner at the White House, 6-23-32
MEDAL with Earhart's profile, "First Woman to Fly the Atlantic 1928"
-- From the collections of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum, West Branch IA

LEATHER FLIGHT JACKET worn by Amelia Earhart, donated to the Historical Center by Earhart's husband, George Palmer Putnam.
--On loan from Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Buffalo Bill Museum, Cody, WY

Continue the virtual tour of the entire exhibit or choose a time period from the exhibit:
	From Colony to Country, 1600-1800	From Jazz to War, 1920-1950
	From Growth to Civil War, 1800-1870	From Fifties to Feminism, 1950-1990
	From Prairie to Polls, 1870-1920	Into the 21st Century, 1990 onward

View an alphabetical list of all 106 women included in American Women! with links to photos and biographies for selected women
View a Thank You to over 100 lenders to Ameican Women!
Return to American Women! index page
Return to Hoover Library-Museum virtual exhibits page
Return to Hoover Library-Museum main index page