This collection consists of material collected and organized by Doris L. Rich during research in preparation for her 1989 book, Amelia Earhart: A Biography. Materials include reproductions of newspapers, books, periodicals, correspondence, and typed/handwritten notes by Rich.
Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) in 1928 was the first woman to fly (as a passenger) across the Atlantic, and in 1932 the first woman (and second person, after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo and nonstop across that ocean. She flew many record flights, published several books, and accomplished much for women in aviation before attempting, on June 1, 1937, an around-the-world flight from Miami, Florida, in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra. She and navigator Frederick J. Noonan were flying from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island when they disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. An exhaustive sea and air search, ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt, was unsuccessful in locating Earhart and Noonan.
Doris L. Rich (1920-2009) was a freelance journalist and photographer in Hong Kong from 1949 to 1967. She taught English in Bangladesh and Ghana before moving to Washington, DC in the late 1970s. Her first book, Amelia Earhart: A Biography, was published by the Smithsonian Press in 1989. In the book, Rich downplays Earhart's disappearance and instead focuses on Earhart's many contributions to the aviation field and her championing of women's rights. The book was proclaimed one of the Notable Books of the Year by the New York Times in 1990 and served as the basis for Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight, a made-for-television movie in 1994.
Identifier
NASM.1991.0003
Creator
Rich, Doris L.
Date
1890-1990
Provenance
Doris L. Rich, Gift, 1990, NASM.1991.0003
Extent
3.89 Cubic feet (8 legal document boxes)
Archival Repository
National Air and Space Museum Archives
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of material collected and organized by Doris L. Rich during research in preparation for her 1989 book, Amelia Earhart: A Biography. Materials include reproductions of newspapers, books, periodicals, correspondence, and typed/handwritten notes by Rich.
Arrangement note
The collection is divided into 5 series, based upon the original order provided by Doris L. Rich.
Series 1: Biographical Files
Series 2: Amelia Earhart Chronology
Series 3: Historical Chronology
Series 4: Book Correspondence
Series 5: Subject Files and Bibliography
Information added by processing archivist is in brackets. Most notably, Doris L. Rich maintained a very formal tone in her correspondence, frequently addressing women by their married name only, ex. Mollison, Mrs. James. The processing archivist has added additonal name information in brackets when possible, ex. [Amy Johnson].
Rights
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Restrictions
No restrictions on access
Citation
Amelia Earhart: A Biography [Rich] Collection, Acc. NASM.1991.0003, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Topics
Aeronautics Women in aeronautics Women air pilots Air pilots -- United States -- Biography Periodicals