Born in New York City on February 23, 1901, Ruth Rowland Nichols was a female American aviation pioneer. She was the only female pilot to hold simultaneous world records for speed, altitude, and distance flown. She was the daughter of Erickson Norman Nichols, a member of the New York Stock Exchange, who had also served with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898).
Coming from a wealthy family, Ruth attended a private preparatory school for young women. On her graduation in 1919, as a gift, her father paid Stinson Aircraft Company founder Eddie Stinson, Jr. to take Ruth for a ride in one of his planes. Following her graduation from the preparatory school, Ruth attended the prestigious Wellesley College, where she studied medicine. While at Wellesley, Ruth secretly took flying lessons and received her pilot's license shortly after graduating.
Ruth took part in the first non-stop flight between New York and Miami
In 1928, Ruth rose to prominence after flying the first ever non-stop flight between New York and Miami as a co-pilot for her flying instructor Harry Rogers. Because of her family background, Ruth became known as the "Flying Debutante," a name that she grew to hate. In 1929, Ruth became a sales manager for the Fairchild Aviation Corporation and, along with Amelia Earhart, became a founding member of the Ninety-Nines, an organization founded especially for women pilots.
Over the next decade, while working for Fairchild and others, Ruth made several record-breaking flights in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra. In December 1930, Ruth beat Charles Lindbergh's record time for a cross-country flight. A year later, she set the woman's world altitude record flying to 28,473 feet and then, in April, set a woman's speed record of 210.7 miles per hour.
In June 1931, Ruth attempted to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, but failed, crashing her plane in New Brunswick, Canada. Having recovered from the crash, Ruth set a woman's long-distance record, flying 1,977 miles from Oakland, California, to Louisville, Kentucky.
On the 14th of February 1932, Ruth set a world altitude record for a diesel-powered plane climbing to 19,928 feet. On November 3, 1932, Ruth tried to break Amelia Earhart's transcontinental record but failed when her aircraft skidded off the runway at New York's Floyd Bennett Field. In December of the same year, Ruth became the first female commercial pilot when she flew a passenger flight for New England Airways.
Following a crash, Ruth did not fly for a year
In October 1935, Ruth was injured badly when her Curtis Condor crashed shortly after taking off from Troy, New York. Unable to fly for a year following the crash, when she recovered, Ruth joined the Civil Air Patrol and eventually obtained the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Following World War Two, Ruth became involved in charitable activities, using her celebrity status to help raise funds. She organized a relief mission for the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and later became the director of women's activities for Save the Children.
The Air Force let Ruth fly a jet fighter
In 1959, Ruth petitioned the United States Air Force to let her fly a TF-102A Delta Dagger fighter jet. The Air Force agreed, allowing her to be a co-pilot. During her flight, Ruth set a new woman's altitude and speed record, flying 1,000 miles per hour and reaching an altitude of 51,000 feet at the age of 57.
A year later, while suffering from depression, Ruth committed suicide by taking an overdose of barbiturates at her home in New York City. Ruth Nichols is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.