On June 18, 1932, Amelia Earhart made aviation history by becoming the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. Departing from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, in a Lockheed Vega 5B, Earhart encountered heavy fog, icing and mechanical difficulty during a flight that lasted approximately 14 hours, before landing near Derry (then often reported as Londonderry), Northern Ireland. The achievement followed Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic crossing in 1927 and built on rising public interest in long-distance flight and the expanding capabilities of aircraft in the early 1930s. Background By 1932, Earhart was already a prominent figure in U.S. aviation circles. She had set altitude and speed records and had been active in promoting opportunities for women in aviation. The transatlantic attempt was partly motivated by the desire to demonstrate the capabilities of women pilots and to further public acceptance of aviation as reliable long-distance transportation. The Flight Earhart’s aircraft, a Lockheed Vega 5B registered NR7952, was a single-engine monoplane known for its relatively high speed and range for the period. She took off from Harbour Grace on June 17 (local time) and encountered deteriorating weather en route. Faced with fog and icing that obscured her intended destination—Paris, where she had initially planned to land—Earhart diverted to the British Isles. Low on fuel and unable to locate an airfield, she is believed to have sighted a man in a boat who later reported waving at her; she landed in a pasture near Culmore, outside Derry, on June 18. Contemporary reports vary slightly on timing and precise sequence of events, but the broad facts of a solo transatlantic crossing and a forced diversion to Northern Ireland are well documented. Reception and Significance The flight earned Earhart widespread acclaim in the United States and internationally. She was celebrated in newspapers and received honors and awards. While some contemporaries quibbled over technicalities—such as whether the flight was strictly nonstop to the European continent—the consensus recognized the feat as the first solo transatlantic crossing by a woman. The achievement helped solidify Earhart’s reputation as a leading aviator and public figure and advanced public interest in commercial and long-distance flight. It also contributed to ongoing discussions about women’s roles in professional and public life during the interwar period. Legacy Earhart’s 1932 solo crossing is frequently cited in histories of aviation and women’s history as a watershed moment. She continued to set records and promote aviation before her disappearance in 1937 during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe—an event that remains unresolved and widely studied. The 1932 flight stands independently as a documented milestone: a technically challenging solo crossing accomplished under adverse conditions that expanded perceptions of what solo pilots, including women, could accomplish. Sources and verification Contemporary newspaper accounts, Earhart’s own public statements, aircraft registration and records of the Lockheed Vega, and later historical biographies provide the basis for the widely accepted timeline and details of the flight. Some minor details—such as exact times of departure and landing or specific weather observations at each point—are reported with slight variations across sources. Those variations do not affect the central fact that Earhart completed the first solo transatlantic flight by a woman on June 18, 1932.