In 1928 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by aeroplane, travelling as a passenger on the Friendship. The flight made her internationally famous and opened the way for her later solo achievements. It linked aviation to changing expectations of women's public ambition.

Earhart became a recurring literary and cultural symbol of independence, risk, and disappearance. Her fame shows how aviation created modern icons through newspapers, memoirs, lecture circuits, and popular verse.