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These days, seeing an airplane in the sky is almost as common as seeing a flock of birds. But it hasn’t always been so. In fact, aviation was once considered a dangerous sport that required quite a bit of courage and endurance. One of the most famous aviators of all time was a brave and graceful woman named Amelia Earhart who set flight records until her death.

Born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison Kansas, Amelia Mary Earhart exhibited a determined and curious spirit from the start. She and her sister built what resembled a skate ramp in a field, taking turns flying off of it while riding what looked like primitive skateboard. A couple of years later, Amelia was driving a sand gravel truck to earn money for her flying lessons. She then took a job sorting mail to pay for her first airplane-a bright yellow second-hand Kinner model which her mother helped her purchase. And although the rudder bar of the small plane vibrated so severely that her feet fell asleep, Amelia soon set an altitude record of 14,000 feet.

Being a female record-setter earned Miss Earhart national attention. In May of 1932, Amelia was invited to be the first female to cross the Atlantic Ocean aboard an airplane. Even though she was but a record keeper for the flight, she brought international attention to the feat of flying. Previously, aviation was considered only suitable for sport and stunt purposes, but after this flight, the public began to dream of flying as passengers in airplanes across the wide oceans. For Amelia, this flight marked the beginning of numerous adventures as a pilot in her own right.

That same year, Amelia Earhart crossed the Atlantic flying a plane by herself. She was the first woman to do so. And don’t think that it was an easy flight-she was forced to perform an emergency landing in an Irish cow pasture because her plane had a fuel leak. Not only did Miss Earhart beat the odds, but she broke a speed record as well, making the transatlantic flight in 13 hours and 30 minutes. The world’s leaders rejoiced, acknowledging her in Europe with medals of honor and throwing her a ticker-tape parade in New York when she returned to the States.

But she was not about to rest on her laurels. In 1935, Amelia Earhart became the first woman (and the second person) to cross the Pacific Ocean alone when she flew from Hawaii to Oakland, California. Then, in June of 1937, Amelia undertook the greatest challenge of her career. She chose a navigator named Fred Noonan to join her in a flight around the world by way of the equator. It was meant to be the longest flight ever attempted, spanning 29,000 miles. Initially, Earhart and Noonan planned to fly a westerly route, but their plane was damaged on the way to Hawaii. After the plane was repaired back in California, Amelia changed her plans, and began an Easterly route around the equator. They departed Miami Florida on June 1st, 1937, and made several stops in South America. Then they crossed the Atlantic, landing in Africa, and eventually making it to Lae, New Guinea in the South Pacific. They had flown 22,000 miles, and had 7,000 to go to complete their record-breaking journey.

However, instead of landing on the tiny island called Howland, Earhart and Noonan disappeared. The Coast Guard and the Navy failed to find the remains of the plane. It is assumed that the pilot and navigator perished at sea. The world mourned at the loss of such a courageous heroine. But Amelia Earhart’s legacy lives on, paving the way for aviators and women alike. The next time you see an airplane flying overhead, think of Amelia Earhart, a real life super hero!