Amelia Mary Earhart (pron-en???rh?rt respellAIRhart); (born July 24, 1897; missing July 2, 1937; declared legally dead January 5, 1939) was a noted American (United States) aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross (Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)), awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines (Ninety-Nines), an organization for female pilots.Lovell 1989 (#refLovell1989), p. 152. Earhart joined the faculty of the world-famous Purdue University (Purdue_University#The_20th_century_-_Aviation_and_Aeronautics) aviation department in 1935 as a visiting faculty member to counsel women on careers and help inspire others with her love for aviation. She was also a member of the National Womans Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.

During an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe in 1937 in a Purdue-funded Lockheed Model 10 Electra, Earhart disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. Fascination with her life, career and disappearance continues to this day. TOClimitlimit=2