Jul 9, 2026 · 27 min · 10 segments
Amelia Earhart was famous as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (first as a passenger, second as a pilot). She was also the first person to fly from Hawaii to California, as well as any number…
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew from New York City to Paris and became an international celebrity.
He won $25,000 in prize money.
He earned enormously more from publicity afterwards.
More to the point, he survived.
Everyone in aviation was eager to do the same.
But it was hazardous.
Within one year, 55 other people attempted to fly the Atlantic.
14 of them died, 33 lived with failure, and 8 succeeded.
All of the 8 were men, which meant that being the first woman to cross the Atlantic in the air was still a prize within reach.
The wealthy Amy Phipps Guest hoped to catch that prize.
She was not a pilot.
She planned to fly as a passenger.
So she found herself a plane, a pilot, and a mechanic before her family revolted.
A combined front of parents, siblings, and children said they preferred her to be alive, not dead, and they were not okay with this.
So Amy Guest settled for merely funding the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.
She told her agent to find an American woman, someone nice who will do us proud, by which she meant someone educated, well-spoken, with good manners, and if possible, a flyer.
My sources do not say why the woman needed to be a flyer, but I am guessing it was to make sure that said woman knew just how risky this was.
The search for such a woman caught the eye of publisher George Putnam.
He instantly grasped the financial possibilities here if only he could finagle his way into the deal.
He asked around, and someone suggested Amelia Earhart.
In early 1928, Amelia Earhart was 30 years old, but she didn't necessarily admit to that.
Officially, she was a social worker, but she had taken flying lessons in California and even temporarily owned her own plane.
But this wasn't her career.
It was a hobby until George Putnam asked if she'd like to be the first woman to fly over the Atlantic.
Not as the pilot.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh flew from New York City to Paris and became an international celebrity.
He won $25,000 in prize money.
He earned enormously more from publicity afterwards.
More to the point, he survived.
Everyone in aviation was eager to do the same.
But it was hazardous.
Within one year, 55 other people attempted to fly the Atlantic.
14 of them died, 33 lived with failure, and 8 succeeded.
All of the 8 were men, which meant that being the first woman to cross the Atlantic in the air was still a prize within reach.
The wealthy Amy Phipps Guest hoped to catch that prize.
She was not a pilot.
She planned to fly as a passenger.
So she found herself a plane, a pilot, and a mechanic before her family revolted.
A combined front of parents, siblings, and children said they preferred her to be alive, not dead, and they were not okay with this.
So Amy Guest settled for merely funding the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.
She told her agent to find an American woman, someone nice who will do us proud, by which she meant someone educated, well-spoken, with good manners, and if possible, a flyer.
My sources do not say why the woman needed to be a flyer, but I am guessing it was to make sure that said woman knew just how risky this was.
The search for such a woman caught the eye of publisher George Putnam.
He instantly grasped the financial possibilities here if only he could finagle his way into the deal.
He asked around, and someone suggested Amelia Earhart.
In early 1928, Amelia Earhart was 30 years old, but she didn't necessarily admit to that.
Officially, she was a social worker, but she had taken flying lessons in California and even temporarily owned her own plane.
But this wasn't her career.
It was a hobby until George Putnam asked if she'd like to be the first woman to fly over the Atlantic.
Not as the pilot.
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