May 20, 1932

Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She set off from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, Canada, at 7 p.m.. She intended to fly to Paris but met with strong windy conditions and landed in a field in Culmore, near Derry, completing a 2,026-mile flight in just under 15 hours. The site is now home to the Amelia Earhart Museum. She held many flying records but the trans-Atlantic flight earned her the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross, the first woman to receive the honor. Five years later she disappeared while trying to fly around the equator.