Born 1903,
Hull, England
Died January 5, 1941,
London, England

Amy Johnson was born in the northern English seaport of Hull, where her father was a well-to-do fish merchant. She attended Sheffield University for three years. After an unhappy romance with a fellow student from Switzerland, she took a typing course and moved to London in 1927. Johnson worked first as a sales clerk and then took a position as a secretary in a lawyer’s office. Her interest in flying began in 1928 when she rented a room near an airfield at Stag Lane. In order to receive reduced tuition for flying lessons, she became the volunteer secretary for the British Air League.

Pursues interest in flying

Johnson began flying lessons in the fall of 1928. Since she took twice as long as the average student to earn her license—she got lost on her first solo flight&mdash...