June 1, 1937: Amelia Earhart leaves Miami to begin final voyage
Amelia Earhart in 1937 (left) and 1936 (right). Photos: Smithsonian collections
Famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart waved goodbye to her husband, George Palmer Putnam, and other well-wishers at Miami's municipal airport and climbed into her twin engine Lockheed Electra and left the U.S. in her second attempt to circle the equator.
She disappeared a month later as she and her navigator were attempting a 2,556-mile leg from Lae, New Guninea to Howland Island, a tiny spot in the Pacific Ocean. In her last radio communications with the Coast Guard cutter ITASCA, stationed just offshore the target island, Earhart said her plane was low on fuel. Nothing more was heard from her.
The most extensive air and sea search in naval history followed -- 250,000 square miles of ocean -- but was called off on July 19th.
The mystery of her disappearance has never been solved, but Earhart remains an iconic and inspirational figure, with her name gracing streets, schools and airports around the nation and Amelia Earhart scholarships and awards given out annually.
She remains a heroine to the women's rights movement for her achievements in the male-dominated field of aviation. In October 1922, she broke the women's altitude record by flying at 14,000 feet. In June 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1930, she set a women's speed record by flying 181.18 mph. And in 1931, she set an overall altitude record by flying at 18,415 feet.
She disappeared a month later as she and her navigator were attempting a 2,556-mile leg from Lae, New Guninea to Howland Island, a tiny spot in the Pacific Ocean. In her last radio communications with the Coast Guard cutter ITASCA, stationed just offshore the target island, Earhart said her plane was low on fuel. Nothing more was heard from her.
The most extensive air and sea search in naval history followed -- 250,000 square miles of ocean -- but was called off on July 19th.
The mystery of her disappearance has never been solved, but Earhart remains an iconic and inspirational figure, with her name gracing streets, schools and airports around the nation and Amelia Earhart scholarships and awards given out annually.
She remains a heroine to the women's rights movement for her achievements in the male-dominated field of aviation. In October 1922, she broke the women's altitude record by flying at 14,000 feet. In June 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1930, she set a women's speed record by flying 181.18 mph. And in 1931, she set an overall altitude record by flying at 18,415 feet.
Read more:
Amelia Earhart: The Official Website • Story in The Miami News: Earhart lands in Puerto Rico After Quick Hop
Amelia Earhart: The Official Website • Story in The Miami News: Earhart lands in Puerto Rico After Quick Hop