Amelia Earhart was a famous pilot. Many know her as the woman who disappeared while attempting to fly around the world in 1937. But before she vanished, the famous flyer made history. In 1928, Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. She also completed the first successful solo flight from Hawaii to California. Earhart went on to perform many solo flights, soaring through the skies. And now, a statue in her honor has landed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.!
Officials Earhart’s bronze sculpture on Wednesday. It stands 7 feet (2.1) tall in the National Statuary Hall Collection, which features two statues from each state. Earhart was born in Kansas in 1897, so her figure represents that state. Earhart’s sculpture replaced one of Kansas Senator John James Ingalls. It is the collection’s 11th statue featuring a woman.
Sharice Davids is a U.S. Representative for Kansas. She spoke at the on Wednesday. “I am really excited that so many people are going to get the chance to be inspired by Amelia Earhart, as I have been,” Davids shared. “She is a true Kansas hero, an icon.”
Earhart earned her way into the collection with her lifetime of achievements. As a kid, young Amelia kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about successful women. And as she grew up, Earhart fought for women’s . She supported the Equal Rights Amendment, which aimed to grant all American people equal rights regardless of their gender.
The pilot paved the way for other women to break into as well. Earhart took her first flying lesson on January 3, 1921. She saved up money and bought her first plane that same year. The craft was bright yellow, and she named it Canary. Earhart broke her first flying record for women in that plane, flying it to an altitude of 14,000 feet (4,267 m)!
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke about Earhart on Wednesday as well. “When girls and boys come to the Capitol and see Amelia, they will visit here and set their sights higher, knowing too that they can reach for the sky,” Pelosi said. “And when they see this statue, when it’s quiet here in the Capitol, they will hear the sound of wings.”
Updated July 29, 2022, 5:03 P.M. (ET)
By Alexa Tirapelli
