National Aviation Hall of Fame enshrinee Harriet Quimby began her career in the newspaper business in California during the early 1900s. When covering an air meet in 1910, she was inspired by aviation and wanted to learn how to fly. She convinced her editors to pay for her flying lessons so that she may write about it for magazine readers. They obliged, and Quimby quickly became the first American woman to earn a pilot’s license, becoming the 37th licensed American aviator. She would dawn a plum stain flight suit that became her signature look as an Aviatrix. Quimby would break several records during her time, including being the first woman to cross the English Channel. She also developed many safety standards that are still in use today and advocated for the safety and familiarization of a pilot’s aircraft. Her thoroughness sparked the development of a safety checklist used before each flight in every aircraft today.