Amelia Earhart Still Lives On

While reading the US Today, I came across an interesting article that made me realize just how far women have come. The article was discussing Amelia Earhart and a movie about her life that is in theatres now.

Amelia Earhart was one of the first female pilots in the early 20th century and the first president of the Ninety-Nine International Organization of Women Pilots, an organization that started with 117 female pilots and currently has 40,000 around the world. Becoming the first president of this organization was a huge accomplishment for Amelia because women at that time were still seen as second class citizen – they had only gained the right to vote less than a decade earlier. This accomplishment, however, paled in comparison to her much bigger achievement which came in 1932 when she became the first women to fly across the Atlantic alone. This feat was controversial for many reasons. But one of the more interesting controversies was the debate around a woman’s ability to fly due to her menstrual cycle. Many men believed that women could not pilot planes because their periods would make them go crazy in the cockpit and lose control. Nevertheless, Amelia gained instant fame from this journey and was celebrated around the world. Sadly, in July 1937, when she was attempting to fly around the world, Amelia and her plane vanished into thin air. Her fans where instantly alarmed and speculation of a suspicious death quickly arose. Amelia Earhart and her plane have still never been found.
Since her disappearance many books have been written about her life and trying to explain her mysterious disappearance. Many have become best-sellers, including the novel that the current film is based on titled East to the Dawn: the Life of Amelia Earhart by Susan Butler. The movie focuses primarily on Amelia’s love life with her husband George Putnam and not so much her disappearance. It stars Hillary Swank and Richard Gere. I think it should be very entertaining and I’m looking forward to seeing it, especially since it tells a great story about an important female figure in American History.