Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She was also the first person to fly by herself from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. Long before she ever took flight, Amelia wasn’t afraid to dream big. She SOARED to new heights as a girl and as a pilot.

Growing up in Kansas she wasn’t into the usual girly stuff. She played basketball, studied auto repair, and was never afraid to take a risk. Flying first caught her attention during World War I. Amelia worked as a nurse’s aid and would watch pilots training in a nearby airfield. She took her first flight as a passenger soon after the war — and she was hooked.

She knew she belonged in the clouds, SOARING higher every chance she could get. So Amelia worked hard to pay for flying lessons. She ultimately saved up enough to buy a secondhand plane. Female pilots were rare in those days, but that never stopped Amelia from believing she could SOAR.

Amelia was a record-breaker during her time and she also used her success to create more opportunities for women in aviation. In 1929, she helped start a group for female pilots called The Ninety-Nines. She was the first president of the organization. Almost 100 years later it still exists and includes women from over 44 countries.

By doing things that no one before had done, Amelia SOARED through the sky and history.