Born in Atchison, Kansas, Amelia Earhart (1897 - 1937), moved many times during her early years. She had a variety of jobs and interests, becoming a teacher and social worker at Denison House in Boston, and later a guidance counselor at Purdue University.

In 1928, Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in the Friendship flight, and in 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo on a similar route across the Atlantic. Author of two books, one published after each flight, she was founder and first president of The Ninety-Nines; Amelia also went on the speaking circuit across the country. Her Lockheed plane was lost at sea during a nearly successful attempt to fly around the world in 1937.