Amelia Earharl was born on July 24,1897 in Atchison, Kansas at her grandparent's house. Soon after her birth, Amelia's parents separated. The girl lived with her grandparents until she was 10. In 1917, Amelia entered a nursing school and witnessed the horrors of war. She served as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse at a military hospital until Novermber,1981,. She later said,"There for the first time I realized what the World War meant... I saw only men without arms or legs...".    In 1920, Amelia's parents had reunited in California. Amelia decided to leave Columbia and join them. Amelia's love for flying was born when her father took her to an aerial show, in which she got to ride in a flight over Los Angeles.    Amelia started taking flight lessons with Anita Snook at Kinner Field near Long Beach, California. Amelia  _ quickly and soon became an excellent pilot. In July of 1920, she purchased her first plane. She named it "The Canary". In October of 1922, just a few years after taking up flying, Amelia began attempting to break records. She first broke the height record of 14,000 feet.    In 1925, Amelia took a position at Dension House in Boston as a social worker. While there, Amelia got a call that would change her life forever. On April 27th, 1926, Captain Hill Railey called Amelia to take part in a flight across the Atlantic Ocean. She would only be a passenger. Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gorden flew the plane, but Amelia became the first woman to make the trip across the Atlantic. Amelia didn't think she deserved the attention she received but was more determined than ever to make the trip herself. While in London, and back in the   United States, Amelia toured the country, giving lectures and speeches. Most likely, Amelia began to take flight lesson at the age of   _  .
20 23 26 28