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On This Day in 1932: Amelia Earhart Finishes Flight Across Atlantic
May 21, 2021 at 05:32 AM EDT
By WeatherBug's Christopher Smith
On this day 89 years ago, Amelia Earhart landed in Ireland, becoming the first woman to solo fly the Atlantic.
It was May 20, 1932, when Amelia Earhart would hop in a red Lockheed Vega plane in Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, setting her sights on crossing the Atlantic. The goal was accomplished just 15 hours later with her landing in Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
Crossing the Atlantic was an amazing achievement, not just for Earhart, but for all women and air travel. Charles Lindbergh became the first to navigate the Atlantic alone in 1927, and she accompanied another team of pilots in 1928. By 1932, she completed just the second non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic.
Another record would be shattered by Earhart just later that year when she flew across the continental U.S. from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., from August 24 to 25, for about a 19-hour journey.
Unfortunately, as many well know, Earhart’s ambitious goals would be cut short in 1937. During a round-the-world flight starting in Oakland, Calif., Earhart’s plane was lost during near Howland Island, a small central Pacific Island.
Even today it remains a large mystery where exactly the plane went down and what exactly happened. However, Earhart’s accomplishments in flying were huge strives both for women and the flight community.
Sources: airandspace.si.edu, americaslibrary.gov
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Story Image: Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega 5B plane (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum).
It was May 20, 1932, when Amelia Earhart would hop in a red Lockheed Vega plane in Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, setting her sights on crossing the Atlantic. The goal was accomplished just 15 hours later with her landing in Londonderry in Northern Ireland.
Crossing the Atlantic was an amazing achievement, not just for Earhart, but for all women and air travel. Charles Lindbergh became the first to navigate the Atlantic alone in 1927, and she accompanied another team of pilots in 1928. By 1932, she completed just the second non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic.
Another record would be shattered by Earhart just later that year when she flew across the continental U.S. from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., from August 24 to 25, for about a 19-hour journey.
Unfortunately, as many well know, Earhart’s ambitious goals would be cut short in 1937. During a round-the-world flight starting in Oakland, Calif., Earhart’s plane was lost during near Howland Island, a small central Pacific Island.
Even today it remains a large mystery where exactly the plane went down and what exactly happened. However, Earhart’s accomplishments in flying were huge strives both for women and the flight community.
Sources: airandspace.si.edu, americaslibrary.gov
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Story Image: Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Vega 5B plane (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum).