Ruth Rowland Nichols was a pioneer of early aviation, the only woman yet to hold simultaneous world records for speed, altitude, and distance, the first woman to attempt a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, the founder of the Relief Wings branch of the Civil Air Patrol and one of the most famous pilots of the 1930’s (even more famous than her friend and rival Amelia Earhart). Her courage and daring made her a national icon, but she is barely remembered now by the country that once praised her as its most famous “fly girl.”
Our guest is Keith O’Brien, New York Times Bestselling Author of Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History.
Thanks to Highbridge Audio for generously allowing us to use excerpts from the Fly Girls audiobook, read by Erin Bennett. A full transcript of this episode is available here.
Our guest, New York Times Bestselling author Keith O’Brien, is a former reporter for the Boston Globe and a frequent contributor to National Public Radio. His work has appeared on shows such as All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and This American Life. He has also written for the New York Times Magazine, Politico, and Slate, and is the author of Outside Shot: Big Dreams, Hard Times, and One County’s Quest for Basketball Greatness. He lives in New Hampshire.
Music for this episode was generously provided by Amanda Setlik Wilson, Jeremy Dittus, Jeff Cuno, The Melody Weavers and the New Hot 5.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
THE ABOLITIONIST Ellen Garrison
THE BYZANTINE Irene of Athens
THE BUTTERFLY IN THE SUN Mata Hari
THE COUNTERFEIT COUNTESS Janina Mehlberg
THE VOYAGER Hannah Masury Howe
THE SOLID CITIZEN Frances Perkins
THE EQUESTRIAN Anna Sewell
THE GUNG-HO ORIGINAL Helen Foster Snow
CHRISTMAS IN SWEDEN Selma Lagerlöf
THE WILD CHILD Alice Roosevelt
THE BOSTON BRAHMIN Ethel Gibson Allen
THE BLOOD COUNTESS Elizabeth Báthory
THE MONGOL KHATUN Genghis Khan's Daughters
THE QUEEN OF HAITI Marie-Louise Christophe
THE ANTI-FASCIST Gerda Taro
THE CLEANING LADY Seraphine of Senlis
THE WESTERN WOMAN Rattlesnake Kate Slaughterback
THE WOMAN KING Hatshepsut
THE PUNA HELE Mary Kawena Puku'i
THE ACCUSED Clara Ford
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Lore