This is Side Door, a podcast from the Smithsonian with support from PRX.

I'm Halima Shaw.

Amelia Earhart is a name that's familiar to many people.

Sadly, she's probably best remembered today for her disappearance over the Pacific Ocean,

during her daring attempt to be the first woman to fly around the world.

But what's lost in the enigma of her death is what a marvelous life she led.

Aarhart was a true pioneer.

She set many records for women in flight,

including being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic.

At a time when women had just won the right to vote, Earhart had a bold visible career out in the world and above it.

But she wasn't alone. Earhart was part of a group called the 99s, an organization dedicated to the advancement

of women pilots. If you've heard the podcast Air Space from our friends over at the Smithsonian's

National Air and Space Museum, you'll know it's out of this world. You may even recognize Emily Martin's voice.

She's one of their three hosts and she joins us here to tell us about Airheart's

fellow pilots, the 99s.

Hey Emily, how's it going?

It's going well.

Well, first of all, who were the 99s?

The 99s was a group of 99 women,

which is how the name came about who came together in the

late 20s the early 30s to form this organization to help support one another

as female pilots. This was a time when women had just gotten the right to vote.

...