Louise Thaden
Pilot
American pilot who set many altitude and endurance records and won the prestigious Bendix trophy.
Her job as a sales representative with a Kansas air travel company offered her the opportunity to take free flying lessons.
She won the prestigious Bendix Transcontinental Air Race of 1936, earning $4,500 for her first place finish and an additional $2,500 for being the first female winner of the race.
Her pilot and engineer husband, Herbert von Thaden, helped her design her record-breaking planes.
She was a friend of fellow aviator Amelia Earhart.