EARHART, Amelia, American aviator, 1897-1937. Although the first woman to fly across the Atlantic (1928), she was only an observer keeping the flight log. The flight was organised by Amy Guest of Philadelphia and used Amy’s own plane. Later the publisher, who had financed the flight, kept Amelia in the public eye. Amelia had already learned to fly, so when a passenger on the Atlantic flight she could have flown the plane anyway. In any event, she married the publisher (George Putnam) in 1930. Finally Amelia did fly the Atlantic solo in 1932. There were better women flyers, but Earhart got the most publicity particularly after she disappeared without trace on a round the world flight in 1937.