Amelia earhart: Who was she? By
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| On January 11, 1935, Earhart made a record-setting solo from Wheeler Field in Honolulu, Hawaii to Oakland, California. This flight had been attempted by many others, most memorably by the participants in the ill-fated1927 Dole Air Race, which was to fly from Oakland to Honolulu. Of the eight planes that started, only two reached Honolulu, with one participant turning back due to engine trouble and the rest perishing at sea. Earhart’s flight was uneventful with no significant problems. However, the Sugar Growers Association of Hawaii, who were the sponsors of the flight, got cold feet due to the cost and ethical questions and the flight almost never happened. Earhart confronted them in a banquet room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and dissuaded them from aborting the flight.
“Gentlemen, I can sense an aroma of cowardice in this room,” she began in a memorable speech that was ironically almost in private. “I have no idea where the rumors of my political influence started,” she continued. “It is inexplicable to me that you gentlemen would accept such a stupid rumor as gospel truth without giving me a chance to deny it, as I most emphatically do. My business is flying. I have spent nearly half of the sum you promised me to get my plane in condition to bring it here, but I can soon recoup that loss. I intend to fly to California within this week, with or without your support.” 
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