- Born
- Died
- Harriet Quimby was born in Arcadia, Michigan. She was an actress, model, magazine writer, screenwriter, and the first woman to ever cross the English Channel in 1912. She also was the first woman who gained a pilot license issued by "Aero Club of America" in 1911. Harriet Quimby had a great impact on the roles of women in aviation even she got the age of 37.
In the early 1900s, her family moved to San Francisco, California. Harriet Quimby became journalist with the San Francisco Bulletin in 1900, as well as doing freelance articles for the popular "Leslies Weekly" magazine. In 1903 then she migrated to New York for work with "Leslies Weekly" magazine as "Theatre Critic" This news magazine published her 250 articles over a period of nine years. In 1910, she became interested in Aviation and participated in the "Belmont Park" (An International Aviation Tournament on Long Island, New York), where she met John Moisant, who was not only a well known aviator but owned a flying school.
Through John, she took her pilot test in 1st August, 1911 and became the first woman of United States to get certificate of pilot. At the same year she wrote five screenplays for the Biograph Company. All of her screenplays directed by her friend from San Francisco theatre days, D.W. Griffith.
On July, 1912 Harriet Quimby was flying her new two seats Bleriot monoplane in "Third Annual Boston Aviation" accompanied by William Willard (Organizer of event). Suddenly plane was pitched forward. Willard was ejected first, then Harriet, both falling to their deaths. She was buried in the "Woodlawn Cemetery' in The Bronx, New York.
In later years Harriet Quimby was recognized for her achievements on a U. S. postage stamp, as well as a biographical book by historian and author Giacinta Bradley Koontz, and recently a film about Harriet's life is in development by the 'American Mutoscope and Biograph Co.' starring DonnaMarie Recco ('Analyze This (1999)', 'Analyze That (2002)', 'Auto Focus (2002)', and produced by Thomas R. Bond II. (Biograph) the same film company Quimby worked for over 100 years ago.
- IMDb mini biography by: Biograph Company
- Wore a purple colored flight suit
- She was hired on staff as a theatre critic with "Leslie's Illustrated Weekly," in 1903.
- Since 2007, the Harriet Quimby story is being developed into a feature film by the American Mutoscope and Biograph Co. starring DonnaMarie Recco ('Analyze This (1999)', 'Analyze That (2002)', 'Auto Focus (2002)', produced by Thomas R. Bond II. Biograph is the same film company that Quimby was a part of in 1910.
- Harriet Quimby was also an actress and staff writer at Biograph Company between 1910 to 1912.
- A biographical book was written about Quimby by historian and author Giacinta Bradley Koontz.
- In later years Harriet Quimby was recognized for her aviation achievements on a U. S. postage stamp.
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