Take to the Skies

In 1921 at age 29, Bessie Coleman became the first African-American woman and first Native American to have a pilot’s license. Five years later, she tragically died in an aviation accident while preparing for an air show in Jacksonville, FL. Although Bessie Coleman achieved her feat first, history books rarely even mention her, opting instead to cover Amelia Earhart.

Amelia Earhart wouldn’t make her achievements until almost ten years later and would be declared dead in 1937, only 18 months after her disapearance.