Amelia Earhart Day 2012
January 11, 1935 was the historical day when Amelia Earhart became the first person, either gender, to fly solo crossing the pacific. Another popular flight was her solo flight across the Atlantic at a stretch on May 20-21, 1932 which made her the maiden woman to accomplish this feast.
Proclamation of Amelia Earhart Day
Saluting the great feats of Amelia Earhart, the Congress, by joint resolution, called upon the President to proclaim May 20, 1982, as ``Amelia Earhart Day'' as a tribute to the most daring and accomplished of the pioneer women aviators.
Therefore Ronald Reagan, the President of the United States of America, declared May 20, 1982, as Amelia Earhart Day.
Accomplishments of Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart is the most acclaimed aviatrix in the history of aviation and was one of the most popular women of her time. She established several aviation records, which includes becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger in 1928, the first woman (and second person except Lindbergh) to solo fly the Atlantic in 1932, and the first individual to fly solo across the Pacific, from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California, in the year 1935.
Amelia Earhart was a modern woman coupled with immense courage, independency, and manifested a strong social conscience. She had been instrumental in fighting for international peace, equality for women, the involvement of women in aviation, and the competition of commercial aviation.
On July 2, 1937, after successfully finishing 22,000 miles of the journey, she took off from Lae, New Guinea, some 18 hours and 2,556 mile across the ocean to Howland Island.
Mystery of Her Death
When the plane was about to approach its destination, Earhart reported that she presumed that she was flying over Howland, but couldn't see it underneath. She was lost and confused, with her plane short of fuel, she asked for help by radio to the tiny island. She lost radio communications and the cutter's radio operators could not established communication with her. A comprehensive air, land, and sea search for almost two weeks failed to find her and any trace of the worlds most famous and daring female pilot, her navigator, or their plane.
