IntroductionThroughout the 1920s and 1930s, although they made up one-thirteenth of all aviators, many women played important roles in flying. (Corn, p 72) Amelia Earhart was one of these women. She was a pioneer of women's aviation. In 1928, she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic alongside pilot Wilmer “Bill” Stultz and co-pilot/mechanic Louis E. “Slim” Gordon. Four years later, she became the first woman to fly solo across the same ocean, replicating Charles Lindbergh's record-breaking flight. During her life, she set numerous women's records: altitude records, coast-to-coast solo flight records, and speed records. (Amelia Earhart, Achievements) She also finished fifth in the Bendix Trophy air race in 1936, in which women took three of the top five places. (Corn, p 556) In 1937, as she approached her 40th birthday, Earhart was ready to take on her next challenge: being the first woman to fly around the world. Before leaving, she said: "I feel like I have just about one good flight left in my system, and I hope this trip is it." She was joined by navigator Fred Noonan for the 29,000-mile journey. They started their trip in Miami on June 1st. On June 29, they landed in New Guinea with 7,000 miles remaining. Inaccurate maps seemed to make navigation difficult for Noonan, and Howland Island was going to be the trickiest. All non-essential items were removed from the aircraft, making room for additional fuel, which added approximately 274 additional miles. During the flight, numerous radio messages were sent, some speaking of a storm and others saying it was near the island; however, these messages were weak or interrupted by noise. (Lauber, p 85-87) The United States is immediately in the middle of paper......iii- Lauber, Patricia. Lost Star. New York: Scholastic, 1988. p.85-87- Long, Elgen M. and Long, Marie K. Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved. New York: Simon & Schuster, October 13, 2009. p.17- Nuwer, Rachel. “Are we ever going to…find out what happened to Amelia Earhart?” The Future of the BBC. June 28, 2013. May 7, 2014.- Sample, Ian. "Pacific sonar footage could be Amelia Earhart's plane wreck." The Guardian. May 31, 2013. May 7, 2014.- Szalay, Jessie. “Amelia Earhart: biography and facts about the disappearance.” Science Live. May 6, 2013. May 7, 2014.- “What happened to Amelia Earhart?” History. 2010. May 7 2014.