Review of "Biography: Amelia Earhart," DVD

 Review of

Biography: Amelia Earhart, DVD

Five out of five stars

A hero to many that vanished

 Although Amelia Earhart has received nearly all of the publicity regarding early female pioneers in aviation, she was not the only one or even the best female pilot of the time. Growing up, she was what used to be called a “tomboy,” wearing male clothing and doing things generally reserved for boys. While those aspects of her early life are interesting, the most revealing aspects of this video deal with the publicity machine that surrounded her. 

 The flight that was billed as the first woman to fly the Atlantic was nothing more than a publicity stunt. While Earhart was indeed on the plane, in her own words she was, “little more than a sack of potatoes.” The men flew and navigated the plane. Yet, she was heralded as an international hero. 

 Earhart’s career as a flyer was managed by George P. Putnam, a publisher that later married Earhart. Putnam was famous as one of the most successful promoters in the United States of the 1930’s. He kept Earhart in the public eye, it is said that very few photos of Earhart were taken where he was not in the background. Some of the more unusual aspects of their marriage are mentioned. 

 Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan were lost over the Pacific in an attempt to find and land on Howland Island to refuel. The most massive search and rescue mission every launched by the U. S. Navy failed to find even a trace of their plane. Underwater sonar searches have continued up through 2024.

  The section of the video dealing with her inability to find Howland Island is very interesting. It points out that Earhart did not know, and apparently Noonan did not either, how to operate the Morse Code device on their plane. It is very possible that such knowledge could have saved them. While there is no question that Earhart was a skilled pilot, she lacked some basic navigation and communication skills. 

 While there are legitimate questions concerning Earhart’s relative talents as an aviator, there is no question that she was an extremely brave and daring pilot. She was the face of female aviation that helped change the world by opening up opportunities for women. This video puts forward her life and accomplishments in an honest and straightforward manner. Should be required viewing in high school history classes where the topic is how females made great strides in professional fields. 


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