16 April - Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel in 1912

 

On 16 April 1912, Harriet Quimby, an American aviator, accomplished the historic feat of becoming the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel. Quimby piloted a French-built monoplane, flying from Dover, England, to Hardelot-Plage, France, a distance of about 22 miles (35 kilometers). Her flight took approximately one hour and nine minutes to complete.

Harriet Quimby was already well-known as a pioneering aviator in the United States, having become the first licensed female pilot in the country in 1911. Her successful Channel crossing further solidified her reputation as a trailblazer in aviation history, breaking gender barriers in a male-dominated field.

Tragically, Quimby's groundbreaking aviation career was cut short just a few months later when she died in an airplane crash during an aviation exhibition in Massachusetts on 01 July 1912. Despite her untimely death, Harriet Quimby's contributions to aviation continue to be remembered and celebrated, particularly her historic flight across the English Channel.