Wednesday, August 24

Viva la Vega!

Those magnificent women in their flying machines!

Amelia Earhart became the first woman to make a solo transcontinental nonstop flight across the United States, when she took off from Los Angeles on Aug. 24, 1932 and landed her Lockheed Vega at the Newark Airport in New Jersey 19 hours later. She established a women's record of 19 hours and 5 minutes and set a women's distance record of 2,447 miles. 

The Dallas Morning News reported on Aug. 26, 1932: 
When the aviatrix stepped wearily from the cockpit of her ship after landing, an enthusiastic crowd, predominantly female, rushed out to greet her, and almost knocked her over.
“Don’t come near me. If you knew what I feel like—” 
She threw her hands up in a tired gesture. When photographers asked her to smile, she told them, “I don’t feel like smiling. I’m too tired.” 
There was a broad smile on her face a moment later, however, as she asked the cameramen, “how’s this?”
While it's a great photo of Amelia, this is sooo undignified. 


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