George Putnam

Research papers on George Putnum focus on his own great accomplishments and his relationship with Amelia Earhart. Paper Masters custom writes research papers so that your project can cover Putnam's literature, life history or his family's well-known publishing company.

George Putnam (1887-1950) was perhaps best known for being the husband of Amelia Earhart, whose disappearance over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 remains one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century. Putnam, however, was an author and explorer in his own right, one of the most famous men in America during the 1930s. His grandfather was the founder of G.P. Putnam's Sons Publishing.

Putman was born in Rye, New York and studied at both Harvard University and the University of California. Her served in the U.S. Army field artillery during World War I, and in 1926 led an expedition into the Arctic, along the western coast of Greenland. The following year he led a second Arctic expedition, collecting wildlife specimens on Baffin Island.

He also worked in the family business, where he oversaw the publication of Charles Lindberg's 1927 autobiography. At the time, Charles Lindberg was the most famous man in the world, known for his solo transatlantic flight. As a result of his relationship with Lindberg, Putnam was asked to help sponsor the first transatlantic flight by a woman. Eventually, Putnam discovered the then-unknown Amelia Earhart. Following her record-making flight, the two collaborated on her account 20 Hrs., 40 Min. The two married in 1931 and Putnam became her biggest promoter until her disappearance during her attempted circumnavigation of the world.

Perhaps the most famous of women aviators, Amelia Earhart, began her illustrious career during the 1920's.

• It was the first year of that decade, 1920, when Earhart took her first flight as a passenger.
• By 1921, she had completed her lessons in learning to fly.
• Earhart established an altitude record for women by flying 14,000 feet during 1922.
• Five years later, Earhart began actively trying to establish an organization for women pilots. The organization that was eventually established was called the Ninety-Nines, named for the number of members it had.
• In June of 1928, Earhart was the first woman passenger to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Three months later she was the first woman to complete a transcontinental flight.
  

The decade of the 1930's was even more eventful than the previous decade for Earhart. She began the decade by establishing the speed record for women by flying over 181 miles per hour in 1930. Additionally during that year, she received an air transport license. In 1931, she began flying an autogiro. In this aircraft, she established an altitude record of almost 18,500 feet and completed the first transcontinental flight by a woman.

The year 1932 was filled with accomplishments, records, and awards for Earhart. She flew alone across the Atlantic Ocean, thus becoming the first woman and second person to do so. This feat made her the first person to ever fly across the Atlantic two times. In August, she established the fastest non-stop transcontinental flight by flying from California to New Jersey in a little over nineteen hours. Among the awards she won that year were the Army Air Corps Distinguished Flying Cross, the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society, and the Harmon Trophy for four years in a row. Additionally, Earhart was presented with an honorary membership in the British Guild of Airpilots and Navigators and in the National Aeronautic Association.