Amelia Earhart had the courage and integrity to break gender stereotypes and continues to be a great mystery to many. Amelia didn't fit the mold that almost all women felt obligated to fill. From a young age Amelia was breaking major gender stereotypes, especially for the time period in which she grew up. For this reason Amelia Earhart has been a fantastic role model for many young women. From the day he flew his first plane to the day he flew his last, he inspired everyone to reach for the stars, and if they can't reach them, to spread their wings and fly. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Every great story has to start somewhere, and for Amelia it was like any other Midwestern girl. Amelia Earhart, nicknamed Millie, was born on July 24, 1897. Her parents were Edwin, a railroad lawyer, and Amy Earhart. Amelia grew up in Atchison, Kansas with her grandparents and sister. Amelia was very shy at school and didn't have many friends, but she loved science and engineering. In Amelia's yearbook they wrote "AE - The girl in the brown dress who always walks alone." She was a very tomboyish child and liked all dirty things. In 1909, Amelia and her sister went to live in Des Moines, Iowa, because of their father's job. While in Iowa Amelia saw her first plane and strangely didn't think much about it. With Edwin being a premeditated alcoholic, Amelia had extreme trust issues and this also made her very dependent throughout her life. Overall, Amelia Earhart had a fairly normal childhood which led to her having a huge influence. Amelia Earhart is best known for her flying. Amelia's first plane ride was at a Long Beach air show in 1920. The plane ride lasted 10 minutes and she became attached almost instantly. Amelia began studying aviation and learning everything there was to learn about aviation. He bought the infamous brown leather jacket and slept in it to make it look "worn on." Amelia even cut her hair to look like the other airmen. In the summer of 1921, just a year after his first flight, he purchased his first airplane. Amelia named the plane "The Canary", due to the bright yellow color. October 22, 1922 Amelia flew to 14,000 feet in the air, breaking a world record for women at the time. And on May 15, 1923, Amelia Earhart became only the sixteenth woman to receive a pilot's license! But soon after, in 1924, Amelia sold her plane because she felt there was no future for her in flying. Earhart slowly resumed flying in 1927 only because she missed it. Amelia became a sales representative for Kinner Aircraft and wrote many articles about being a woman who flies and flying in general. He invested a lot of his money in Dennison Airports in Massachusetts. Needless to say, it played an important role in aviation in many aspects. Amelia quickly became a local celebrity in Boston, where she has lived for a few years now. Amelia loved being part of the aviation community, but she still really missed flying and was ready to take any chance she had to fly on her own. In April 1928, Amelia received a telephone call from Hilton Radley. Hilton asked her to be the first woman to fly over the Atlantic, which she readily accepted. A New York newspaper asked her for an interview which led to her being officially selected to be the first woman to travel as a passenger on a transatlantic flight. The flight occurred on June 17, 1928 and lasted 20 hours and 40 minutes, which became the title of his book which he later wrote. Obviously she has become an icon for.