National Geographic's book In Praise of Difficult Women by Karen Karbo profiles women throughout the world who have pushed societal norms and boundaries in areas spanning the gambit from politics, art, media, books, and more.
On June 17, 1928, when famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart made her first transatlantic flight, she was a passenger, not a pilot. Amelia already knew how to fly. She’d had her pilot’s license for five years, but her expertise mattered not; a transatlantic flight was presumed to be too stressful and terrifying for a member of the fairer sex. She went along with it, because she was passionate about flying—and being the first woman, even if she wasn’t in control, was nevertheless awesome. She was stowed in the back of the Friendship, which wasn’t much larger than a Chevy Suburban, behind pilot Wilmer “Bill” Stultz and co-pilot Louis “Slim” Gordon. Amelia, who did nothing but endure the discomfort of
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