Amelia Earhart (1897-1937), American aviation pioneer. Earhart was the first woman to cross the Atlantic by air as a passenger (1928), fly solo across the Atlantic, setting a new record of 13 hours and 30 minutes (1932), and fly from Hawaii to California (1935). In 1937, Earhart attempted to become the first woman to fly around the world. Her plane, with her navigator Fred Noonan also on board, disappeared on 2 July 1937 whilst flying over the Pacific Ocean from New Guinea to Howland Island. No trace of the plane or crew was ever found.