Amelia Earhart was born in 1897 in Kansas and moved with her family to Iowa when she was 10. She was a pioneering female aviator who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and held several flying records. However, in 1937 she disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean during an attempted circumnavigation of the globe, becoming one of aviation's most famous disappearances. She was known for her courage, intelligence, determination and leadership abilities.