The real reason Amelia Earhart is so famous

Amelia Earhart is often thought of as the first or greatest female pilot. She was the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the United States and the first woman — and second person, after Charles Lindbergh — to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. But she wasn’t the only record-breaking female flier of her time, and she certainly wasn't the best.

Earhart’s contemporaries Louise Thaden, Ruth Nichols, and Beryl Markham were arguably more competent pilots and had record-breaking careers of their own. But they didn’t get the same recognition as Earhart, who went on to become an iconic name in aviation. What set her apart from her peers was a carefully executed publicity campaign.

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Earhart’s husband, George Palmer Putnam, was an influential American book publisher who chose Earhart to fly (as a passenger) over the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, making her the first woman to do so. The subsequent fame contributed to her career in flying and speaking tours, which ultimately turned a pretty average pilot into an aviation legend.

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Earhart used her celebrity status to promote aviation as a viable form of transportation. And she encouraged other women to get into the field, which was still new. And while Earhart wasn’t technically the most skilled pilot of her time, her courage and ambition to pursue a career in flying remain an inspiration more than 80 years after her disappearance.

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Watch the video above to see how Earhart became a legend in her lifetime.

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