Overview

It was only six years after the Wright brothers' first flight that the first woman flew an airplane. In the next few decades, women aviators became increasingly common and attracted an increasing amount of attention, culminating with Amelia Earhart's (1898-1937) flights in the 1920s and 1930s. With Earhart's death in 1937, women aviators became less prominent, but continued to contribute greatly to aviation, especially as auxiliary pilots during the Second World War. Thanks to the early female aviators, women are now accepted as pilots in both military and commercial aircraft.

Background

The first woman took to the air in 1784, not long after the first human flight of any sort. Flying over the French countryside, Elisabeth Thible was so thrilled she burst into song as she ascended to a height of nearly a mile. In spite of this early start, women remained by...