Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden

Three record-setting women pilots but Amelia Earhart soloed the Atlantic to gain more respect.

Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden

Queens of the air: Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden. Despite her records and fame, Earhart knew she wasn’t fully accepted as an accomplished pilot. She thought an Atlantic solo flight would bring her respect—something other women sought too.

Have you ever heard of Ruth Nichols and Louise Thaden? They were famous for holding three women’s world flight records at once: Nichols held speed, altitude, and distance records; Thaden held speed, altitude, and solo endurance records. Nichols set out to cross the Atlantic before Amelia Earhart but crashed in Canada. She was planning to try again when Earhart succeeded.

Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Photo Number: NASM 89-21979

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Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden

Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden