Ruth Rowland Nichols
| Ruth Rowland Nichols | |
|---|---|
Nichols in 1932
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| Born |
February 23, 1901 New York City |
| Died | September 25, 1960 (aged 59) |
| Cause of death | Overdose |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery |
| Education | Wellesley College (1924) |
| Parent(s) | Erickson Norman Nichols Edith Corlis Haines |
Ruth Rowland Nichols (February 23, 1901 – September 25, 1960) was an American aviation pioneer. She was the only woman yet to hold simultaneous world records for speed, altitude, and distance for a female pilot.
Nichols was born in New York City to Erickson Norman Nichols and Edith Corlis Haines. Her father was a member of the , and had served with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders (officially known as The 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry). Ruth was sent to the Masters School, a private preparatory school for young women. On her graduation from high school in 1919, her father's graduation present to her was an airplane ride with Edward Anderson "Eddie" Stinson, Jr., ace World War I pilot, which spurred her interest in becoming a pilot. After her graduation from the Masters School, she attended Wellesley College, studied pre medical, and graduated in 1924.
While a student at Wellesley College, Nichols secretly took flying lessons. Shortly after graduation, she received her pilot's license, and became the first woman in the world to obtain a hydroplane license. She first achieved public fame in January 1928, as co-pilot for Harry Rogers, who had been her flying instructor, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Miami, Florida. Due to her socialite upbringing and aristocratic family background, Nichols became known in the press as the "Flying Debutante", a name she hated. Nichols was then hired as a sales manager for Fairchild Aviation Corporation. In 1929, she was a founding member, with Amelia Earhart and others, of the Ninety-Nines, an organization of licensed women pilots. In August 1929, she and Earhart were among 20 competitors in the Women's Air Derby (also known as the "Powder Puff Derby"), the first official women-only air race in the United States. They departed from Santa Monica, California, on 18 August for Cleveland, Ohio. Nichols crashed, while Earhart finished third in the heavy class.
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