On This Day: Amelia Earhart Embarks on Solo Atlantic Flight

Aviation phenomenon Amelia Earhart first made headlines in 1928 when she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic as a passenger on a transatlantic airplane flight.

Her famous solo flight took 14 hours and 56 minutes. The original flight plan called for her to fly from Newfoundland to Paris. But she had to land in Ireland because of “strong north winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems,” said her official site.

She described her landing in a pasture: “After scaring most of the cows in the neighborhood, I pulled up in a farmer's back yard.”

She was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross by Congress for her effort. Later, the aviatrix continued to set records, becoming the first person to fly the Atlantic alone twice, and the first woman to fly nonstop across the United States.

Earhart was born in 1897 in Atchison, Kan., and was often called “Lady Lindy” for her similarities to pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh. Before becoming a pilot, Earhart was a social worker and was married to noted publisher George Putnam.

She did more than fly, though. According to the Smithsonian Institution, she was a clothing and luggage designer, author and visiting professor at Purdue University, where she was also a counselor. She also lectured about women's issues.

Her flying career ended with her disappearance in 1937, when her plane vanished from contact during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Despite her tragic end, Earhart continues to inspire people today with her legacy of daring and love of flight.

Social commentator and author Camille Paglia paid tribute to Earhart in a 1996 New York Times article: "Amelia Earhart symbolizes modern woman’s invasion of the male world of daring action and adventure. As an aviator, she broke barriers and made the machine age her own."

“In the early morning hours of July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart was scheduled to land her airplane on the tiny Pacific Ocean island of Howland just north of the Equator. She never arrived,” reports National Geographic in an article explaining the three most credible theories about her fate.

Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were flying from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland in one of the final legs of an around-the-world flight. One of her last radio calls told a Coast Guard clipper that she was nearing the island, but was low on gas.

According to the Smithsonian Institution, Pres. Franklin Roosevelt ordered “a massive sea and air search.”

In a Time magazine profile published shortly after her disappearance, searchers reported that the chance of finding Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan alive was “already down to one in a million.”

The plane, Noonan and Earhart were declared lost on July 18, 1937, the Smithsonian said.

“Her fate remains one of aviation’s greatest unsolved mysteries,” with theories including a plane crash, and a secret mission for the U.S. government after which she lived under an assumed identity, according to National Geographic.

“Amelia” movie

The Derry Journal in April reported that the movie 'Amelia' is scheduled to be released in October 2009. Hilary Swank and Richard Gere are reportedly starring in the film.

“The Mysteries of Amelia Earhart” TV documentary

The IMDB page for the 1998 TV documentary features archival footage of Earhart and explores the life, career and disappearance of Earhart.

“Lost Star: The Search for Amelia Earhart” book

Randall Brink in 1994 released a book in which he postulated that Earhart was a spy whose capture by the Japanese was covered up by the U.S. government. While others had offered up this theory before, the Times said that Brink’s book included the strongest evidence and analysis so far in support of the theory.