Aviator Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. In 1923, Earhart, fondly known as “Lady Lindy,” became the 16th woman to be issued a pilot’s license. She had several notable flights, becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, as well as the first person to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific. In 1937, she mysteriously disappeared while trying to circumnavigate the globe from the equator. Since then,
“The woman who can create her own job is the woman who will win fame and fortune.”
– Amelia Earhart
“Adventure is worthwhile in itself.”
– Amelia Earhart
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several theories have formed regarding Earhart’s last days, many of which have been connected to various artifacts that have been found on Pacific islands—including clothing, tools and, more recently, freckle cream. Earhart was legally declared dead in 1939.
Early Life
Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas, in America’s heartland. She spent much of her early childhood in the upper-middle class household of her maternal grandparents. Amelia’s mother, Amelia “Amy” Otis, married a man who showed much promise, but had never been able to break the bonds of alcohol. Edwin Earhart was on a constant search to establish his career and put the family on a firm financial foundation. When the situation got bad, Amy would shuttle Amelia and her sister Muriel to their grandparents’ home. There they sought out adventures, exploring the neighborhood, climbing trees, hunting for rats, and taking breathtaking rides on Amelia’s sled.
Even after the family was reunited when Amelia was 10, Edwin constantly struggled to find and maintain gainful employment. This caused the family to move around, and Amelia attended several different schools. She showed early aptitude in school for science and sports, though it was difficult to do well academically and make friends. In 1915, Amy separated once again from her husband, and moved Amelia and her sister to Chicago to live with friends. While there, Amelia attended Hyde Park High School, where she excelled in chemistry. Her father’s inability to be the provider for the family led Amelia to become independent and not rely on someone else to “take care” of her.
After graduation, Amelia Earhart spent a Christmas vacation visiting her sister in Toronto, Canada. After seeing wounded soldiers returning from World War I, she volunteered as a nurse’s aide for the Red Cross. Earhart came to know many of the wounded who were pilots. She developed a strong admiration for aviators, spending much of her free time watching the Royal Flying Corps practicing at the airfield nearby. In 1919, Earhart enrolled in medical studies at Columbia University. She quit a year later to be with her parents, who had reunited in California.
Early Career
At a Long Beach air show in 1920, Amelia Earhart took a plane ride that transformed her life. It was only 10 minutes, but when she landed she knew she had to learn to fly. Working at a variety of jobs, from photographer to truck driver, she earned enough money to take flying lessons from pioneer female aviator Anita “Neta” Snook.
“What emerged as a new chapter in the fight for civil rights at Stonewall in June 1969 continues today in the battle to secure basic, fundamental protections for LGBT families and workers everywhere – to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; to reject discrimination in our immigration system against LGBT families and foreign-born partners and spouses; and to make marriage equality not just a cause of one community, but the law of the land. In LGBT Pride Month, that drive endures as we act to keep the doors of opportunity and equality open for LGBT Americans and all Americans.”
“There is no greater way to safeguard the future of our country than to invest in the education of our children. Yet if Congress fails to act by July 1, interest rates on student loans will double, putting a college education well out of reach for millions of American students. With hardworking families already carrying $1 trillion in student loan debt, we must do more to ease – not exacerbate – that burden.
“As we mark another Memorial Day, we recommit to addressing the challenges of military families in our time: to ensure timely access to benefits; to end the claims backlog at the VA; to secure quality health care and good-paying jobs for our service members. On this day and every day, we must reaffirm our solemn promise: just as the military leaves no one behind on the battlefield, we will leave no veteran behind at home.”Friday, May 24, 2013
“Thanks to the cooperation and commitment of California’s medical community, our health insurance marketplace will expand competitiveness, improve health care, protect the economic security of the middle class, and transform millions of lives. I am proud to see that California is leading the way in establishing the bright and healthy future that the Affordable Care Act is meant to ensure.”
“President Obama’s address reaffirmed our nation’s firm commitment to preserving our security while upholding our civil liberties. As elected officials, we have no greater responsibility than protecting the American people; with the President’s statement today, we have a broad framework to meet that duty and maintain our commitment to our country’s highest ideals.”
“Instead of working to enact a budget, or to create jobs, today the House Republicans will vote on the “Make College More Expensive Act.” This is really stunning. I hope you pay attention to the debate with the charts and the rest. It clearly demonstrates how damaging this is to college affordability, to those who want to go to college, to their families who want to help them to do so…”
“As we approach Memorial Day, the challenge to our conscience of that – meeting the needs of our veterans is heightened. It is with us every day. But it’s heightened on Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and other times of the year. As we say in our meetings all the time on the battlefield, the military says: ‘on the battlefield, we will leave no soldier behind.’ And all of us say together, in a bi-partisan way: ‘and when they come home, we will leave no veteran behind.’ And so, it is in that spirit that this backlog is a challenge to the conscience of our country…”
“On this Harvey Milk Day – on what would be his 83rd birthday – Harvey’s green light has opened doors for LGBT elected officials nationwide: from America’s first LGBT Senator in Tammy Baldwin to six LGBT Members of the House, each contributing their leadership to the most diverse Democratic Caucus in history. These Members are a living testament to Harvey’s principle that LGBT people deserve a place at the table.”
“I am pleased that the more than 600,000 American citizens who reside in the District of Columbia will finally have a statue representing them in the U.S. Capitol. While the District deserves to have two statues in the Capitol, like the states, since its residents pay federal taxes and have fought and died in every American war, a statue depicting Frederick Douglass could not be a more apt representative for the people of D.C. Douglass fought for District residents to have self-government and Congressional representation, a fight our Caucus carries on today.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Joe Crowley, Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Nita Lowey, and Congressman Rush Holt met with President U Thein Sein of Burma and his delegation.
“So, I hope it is a comfort to the people of the region, that their loss is one that is shared, and mourned, by people across the world, certainly in our country, and definitely in this Congress of the United States. Whatever it is in our power to be helpful to them, we will do, and we will do quickly. And that most importantly, they will always, always, always, and ever, be in our prayers.”
“As rescue workers continue the search for survivors, Members of Congress stand ready to do what we can to support the communities in Oklahoma, the first responders, and state and local government in their efforts to recover, respond, and rebuild.”
Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and senior House Democrats have sent letters to nine separate U.S. retailers calling upon them to join a broadening global coalition supporting a May 12 Accord on Fire and Building Safety, developed by the Worker Rights Consortium and a number of key stakeholders.
“Here we are, 134 days into the 113th Congress, without one vote on a jobs bill. Fifty-four days after the Senate passed its budget, we still haven’t moved forward to the budget process with this do nothing agenda that does not reflect the priorities of the American people. It is an agenda that only the Republicans are interested in pursuing. So, you see a series of subterfuges, job evasions. Today’s job evasion is that the Republicans have decided to vote on the Patient’s Rights Repeal Act, their 37th attempt to repeal our country’s landmark reform bill. That’s 37 votes, 43 days, $52 million – $52.4 million – on an obvious evasion of our responsibility to work on the priorities of the American people.”
“…[W]e believe there is simply no substitute for tough, comprehensive, uncompromising government support for legislation and fully-resourced law enforcement and administrative action… that both empowers workers and prevents more accidents from happening,” write the lawmakers in the letter.
“First of all, it is our job to come here and act for the good of the American people. And right now the American people see that good as the creation of jobs. What is it, 134 days into this Congress? And the Republican majority has yet to put forth one bill, vote one bill out to create jobs, to have evasion. Here we are today with yet another one of their subterfuges: ‘let’s not talk about jobs. Let’s use up time.’ And that adds to – what has been up until now – $54 million dollars, 43, some days spent on this – the 37th effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. What we should be doing is what the Republicans have asked for: regular order, to go to the budget table, to reconcile the differences between the House and the Senate, so that we can put forth a product, a budget that creates jobs, that reduces the deficit, that strengthens the middle class…”
“…it’s about how it affects women specifically, that we are talking about today, but those women are part of the nearly 13 million Americans benefitting from $1.1 billion in rebates from health insurance companies last summer…”
Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi announced today that Catlin O’Neill, longtime aide and Chief of Staff in her Congressional office (CA-12), will be departing for the private sector. Today, Leader Pelosi named Robert Edmonson, her current Legislative Director, as Ms. O’Neill’s successor.
“Today, the Pentagon’s civilian employees join the growing list of Americans bearing the brunt of the devastating sequester cuts. As long as House Republicans refuse to replace the sequester, hard-working Americans will see crippling cuts to services in education, health, and national security.”
Washington, D.C. – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and a bipartisan group of members sent the following letter to Secretary of State John Kerry expressing concern about the harassment and abuse inflicted upon Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng and his family by local officials in the Shandong Province of China. The letter makes a series of recommendations for actions the State Department could take in its discussions with the Chinese government.
“While we look forward to reviewing the Inspector General’s report this week, it is clear that the actions taken by some at the IRS must be condemned. Those who engaged in this behavior were wrong and must be held accountable for their actions. Regardless of political affiliation or bias, there is no place for this type of activity by the IRS or its employees.”
“This week we gave mothers not a very good gift. More work, less pay. Happy Mother’s Day? I don’t think so. The bill that gives less flexibility to working people, more discretion to their bosses. Here’s what the bill really does: it ends the 40 hour work week, it ends, it cuts pay for women, undermines the economic security of the middle class, gives an interest free loan, paid for by workers’ wages and unused comp time to the company…”
“We feel very, very hopeful that we will be able to move forward on this before the session of this Congress is out. That we will indeed have passed comprehensive immigration reform. It couldn’t happen without you.”
“On Cinco de Mayo, we remember the extraordinary victory of a poorly-armed Mexican militia over larger, stronger, better-equipped French forces in the Battle of Puebla. For 151 years, this date has been a source of pride to the people of Mexico – and here in the United States, it has been an opportunity to honor the contributions, heritage, and rich history of Mexican Americans and all Hispanic Americans.”
“Today’s jobs report shows signs of progress for our workers and our middle class. Yet it is also a reminder that Americans cannot afford more Republican political games that protect the sequester, slow our growth, inject uncertainty into our economy, and create instability for our working families. Members of Congress must work together to put people to work, invest in American businesses and manufacturers, and build a lasting recovery.”
“Today, President Obama nominated two effective, passionate leaders to guide our efforts to grow our economy, strengthen the hands of American businesses and workers, and keep our nation number one on the global stage.”
“Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable achievements, rich cultures, and extraordinary contributions of the AAPI community. Americans from Asia and the Pacific Islands have risen above hardship, prejudice, and outright persecution to become an indelible part of the American story.”
“Jewish American Heritage Month is a time to honor and celebrate a community rich in achievement, central to American progress, bound together by the values of fairness and justice for all.”
“A proud son of North Carolina, Congressman Mel Watt has spent the last 20 years as a staunch and tireless advocate for the health, economic security, and prosperity of the people he represents. As an economic development attorney and small business owner, he will bring the real-life expertise and unwavering dedication necessary to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency.”
Be a Seed for Change 