Two Great Women Meet - When Eleanor Roosevelt met Amelia Earhart
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Amelia Earhart was born in 1897 and became a famous airplane pilot. She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean alone. In a time when mostly men were pilots, Amelia worked to help other women become pilots.

 

Eleanor Roosevelt was born in 1884. She became a First Lady, which means that she was married to the President. But Eleanor was famous for helping people, not for being the President’s wife.

 

In those days, women didn’t have the same rights as men. Women were considered weaker than men. Both Amelia and Eleanor knew that women were just as strong and as smart as men and that a woman could do any job that a man could do. Both women followed their hearts and did what they thought was right.

 

In 1933, Eleanor met Amelia for the first time when Amelia was invited to dinner at the White House. Amelia and Eleanor had a lot in common—they were both extraordinarily strong women who fought for women’s rights—and they became fast friends.

 

Eleanor asked Amelia what it was like to fly at night. Back then, it was very risky to fly at night since were no computers to guide the plane. Navigating an airplane in the dark without specialized equipment was both difficult and dangerous. Amelia, who loved taking risks, told Eleanor that flying at night was like flying with the stars. Eleanor had to see what it was like, so the two ladies slipped out of the White House in their fancy dresses, went to the airport, and borrowed an airplane. Amelia took Eleanor for her first nighttime flight and Eleanor loved it!

 

Soon after, Eleanor got a permit so that she could learn to fly an airplane. Amelia said she would teach her how to fly, but unfortunately, she never got the chance. Amelia disappeared in 1937 while attempting to make a nonstop flight around the world. Her plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean and Amelia disappeared without a trace.

 

President Roosevelt, who liked Amelia as much as his wife did, instructed the navy to launch a massive search for the famous pilot, but Amelia Earhart was never found. After that, Eleanor never learned to fly, but she never forgot her good friend either.