Amelia
Amateur radio operators across the country reported hearing Amelia Earhart’s distress calls on their shortwave radios after her disappearance over the Pacific in July 1937.
We imagined our central character, Eleanor Berg, a 13-year-old in San Clemente, California confined to her room on a summer day because she was recently stricken with polio. Hearing the famous aviator on her shortwave motivates Eleanor to finish the building the radio kit her grandfather gave her.
Although she feels isolated, technology allows her to connect with the world.
Activities
INTERVIEW A MEMBER OF THE NINETY-NINES
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE NINTEY-NINES, THE FEMALE FLYING CLUB FOUNDED BY AMELIA EARHART, AND ASK A PILOT SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT FLYING.
BUILD YOUR OWN CRYSTAL RADIO
TEAM UP WITH AN ADULT AND BUILD YOUR OWN CRYSTAL RADIO. THE BORDEN RADIO COMPANY HAS SEVERAL KITS FOR SALE, STARTING AT $29.95.
CHART HER AROUND THE WORLD FLIGHT
PILOT SHAESTA WAIZ, FOUNDER OF DREAMS SOAR, IS ON A MISSION TO BE THE YOUNGEST WOMAN TO FLY AROUND THE WORLD. DOWNLOAD A WORLD MAP & CHART HER ROUTE.
RESEARCH THE POLIO VIRUS AND SALK’S VACCINE
READ ARTICLES FROM THE POLIO EPIDEMIC IN THE 1930S. LEARN ABOUT THE POLIO VIRUS AND THE CURRENT GLOBAL POLIO ERADICATION INITIATIVE.
DRAW YOUR OWN COMIC ABOUT A WOMAN IN STEM
DOWNLOAD AND READ "QUEEN OF THE HURRICANES", A COMIC BOOK ABOUT ENGINEER ELSIE MACGILL. DRAW YOUR OWN COMIC ABOUT AN INSPIRING WOMAN IN STEM.
LEARN ABOUT HOW RADIO WAVES AND HARMONICS WORK
WATCH THIS VIDEO FROM THE KHAN ACADEMY ABOUT HOW RADIO WAVES WORK. LEARN ABOUT HARMONICS AND CALCULATE THE FIRST 5 HARMONICS OF 3105HZ.
Behind The Scenes
We filmed Amelia in December 2016 on one of the coldest days of the year in Minnesota – a far cry from a hot summer day.
But with our interior location, detailed art direction, and the magic of lighting, we were transported to July 1937.
PHOTOS BY TANNER MORRIS
