The aviation hero Amelia Earhart, who became one of the world’s most famous women during the Great Depression, is one of those historic figures that people think they know quite well.
But during her lifetime, much of her public image was the product of a New York book publisher. And even today, Earhart’s legacy is reduced down to seemingly strange disappearance over the Pacific Ocean in 1937.
Laurie Gwen Shapiro, author of The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage that Made an American Icon, joins Greg on this week’s show to untangle her surprising and even provocative true story — as a young midwestern woman who embodied the possibilties of flight through the persona of ‘Lady Lindy’ even though the lofty ambitions of her publisher (and lover) George Putnam often placed her in dangerous situations.
And New York City figures into both her story — and that of early American flight. From the airfields of Governors Island to the Greenwich Village settlement house which became her home.
ALSO: What really did happen to Amelia Earhart? Her biographer has the answer.
LISTEN NOW: THE MANY MYSTERIES OF AMELIA EARHART
The Bowery Boys Podcast is proud to be sponsored by Founded By NYC, celebrating New York City’s 400th anniversary in 2025 and the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026.
Read about all the exciting events and world-class institutions commemorating the five boroughs’ legacy of groundbreaking achievements, and find ways to celebrate the city that’s always making history at Founded by NYC.
Thank you for Laurie Gwen Shapiro for appearing on the Bowery Boys Podcast. The Aviator and The Showman is available in book stores now.
FURTHER LISTENING
After hearing this show, dive back into the Bowery Boys archives for other shows with similar themes:
Newark vs LaGuardia: The Story of the First Airports
Adventures on Governors Island