Aviation History Made on April 16, 1912

On this day in 1912 the first woman flew solo over the English Channel. This was not the only first for Harriet Quimby. In 1911 she became the first woman to receive a pilot's license in the US, second woman in the world. Women had piloted before but none had been licensed. A month after getting her license Quimby became the first woman to fly a plane at night. Her stunt of flying over the English Channel went unnoticed due to the Titanic disaster. Quimby did not get the oppurtunity to do something greater because she died in an aviation accident 3 months later.