Harriet Quimby (1875-1912) first gained recognition as a celebrated magazine writer, but her greater claim to fame came later in life, when her high-flying stunts grabbed headlines.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s Wommanican first gained recognition as a celebrated magazine writer, but her greater claim to fame came later in life, when her high-flying stunts grabbed headlines. She pushed the boundaries of expected gender roles at the turn of the twentieth century, often writing about her experiences in male-dominated fields. Perhaps most notably, she became the first American woman licensed to pilot a plane. Let’s talk about Harriet Quimby.
Harriet was born on May 11th, 1875, somewhere in Michigan. The exact location is unclear. Her parents were farmers who found themselves down on their luck. While Harriet was still young, the family moved west to find a better living in California.
There, Harriet found freedom in a society that allowed some women to step outside of social norms-- some found careers as actors, or studied medicine. From a young age, people described Harriet as a tomboy constantly on the search for freedom. When she grew up, she found that liberty through writing. In her early 20s, she became a staff writer for the San Francisco Dramatic Review. She quickly established a name for herself as a reporter.
By 1903, Harriet grew tired of California. She packed her bags and moved to New York City to work for Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly, a popular magazine. She worked as a theater critic, but her topics of interest soon expanded to include her more unusual interests.
Though Harriet wasn’t part of the U.S. suffrage movement, she was devoted to expanding the hobbies and interests available to women of the time. Harriet herself was eager to travel and try new things. In 1906, she became very interested in race cars. She wrote an article detailing her experience during a thrilling 100 mile per hour ride. She also wrote an article titled, “Can Women Run Automobiles” that might have helped open the door for other women to have the same experience.
Just a few years later, Harriet found her life’s true passion when she was assigned a series of articles on the new sport of aviation. She traveled to Los Angeles to cover the first ever air meet in the United States. Harriet was quickly enamored by the planes and flying exhibitions. She also came away from the meet convinced she too could learn how to fly.
Harriet became friends with John Moisant, a celebrated American aviator, and convinced him to be her flying instructor. They worked together for just a few months before he was killed in a plane crash.
After John’s death, Harriet continued her flight training. She became well-known as one of the safest pilots of the time. Her articles on the importance of pre-flight checks and the use of seatbelts were way ahead of her time and actually helped to establish safety precautions as regular parts of pilot routines.
When the news of a young woman pursuing a pilot’s license got around, Harriet’s story quickly became a sensation. It was so popular, in fact, that Harriet was able to convince Leslie’s to pay for her training and give her a series of articles chronicling her adventures in flight.
In this series, Harriet brought together her love for a male-dominated sport with a more typically feminine flair. In her first article, she covered the mechanics of an aircraft and the basics of flight-- and also included a section on how women might want to dress for the occasion. In another story, she extolled the unique virtues of high-altitude dew accumulation on the skin. She also drew attention for her signature violet satin flying suit.
On August 1, 1911, Harriet became the first American woman to earn a pilot’s license. Fans called her “America’s First Lady of the Air.”
Harriet had a successful run as an aviatrix. She regularly competed in a variety of exhibitions and competitions. On April 12th, 1912, she became the first woman -- and one of the only pilots ever at the time -- to successfully cross the English Channel. She was also an extraordinarily resourceful pilot -- she completed the Channel crossing in a plane she had never flown before, guided by a compass she had never used.
Unfortunately, Harriet’s flying career was short-lived. On July 1st, 1912, she was wrapping up a successful first day at the Third Annual Boston Aviation Meet and decided to go out for a practice flight. For reasons still unknown, her aircraft lost balance and plunged forwards mid-air. Both Harriet and her passenger fell to their deaths. She was 37 years old.
Despite her short career, Harriet’s impact on the world of aviation was undeniable. Just before her death, Harriet published an article that called aviation one of the best sports for women: not only was it “dignified,” but it also granted a sense of freedom and excitement found in few other hobbies. In 2004, she was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
All month, we’re talking about journalists.
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Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!