Amelia Earhart, an aviator and a feminist icon, was born in nearby Atchison, Kansas.
Earhart was born in 1897. She would go on to be one of the first women to be granted a pilot's license and attempt severely daring feats over her lifetime.
She was the first female pilot to make a solo trip across the Atlantic Ocean.
Earhart departed from Newfoundland and was headed to be Paris. However, she encountered mechanical trouble and had to land in a pasture in Northern Ireland.
Although, this didn't deter her from future long-distance flights. She made several other notable journeys across the U.S. in the early days of flight.
Eventually, she attempted to circumnavigate the globe across the equator. However, she never made it to one of her checkpoints -- an island in between Hawaii and Australia. Earhart, her plane or her navigator, Fred Noonan, were never found and, although there are several theories, there is no consensus on what actually happened to Earhart.
But her habit of defying gender roles and thirst for adventure cemented her as a feminist icon who is still respected today.
------
