The National Statuary Hall Collection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, hosts two statues of key figures from each state that have cultural or political resonance, from Thomas Edison to George Washington. This month, the assembly will get a new member: aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. The long-planned bronze statue, which is set to be unveiled to the public on July 27th, was fully financed by the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation. Amelia Earhart’s abbreviated life has long been the subject of speculation. She was the first woman to cross the Atlantic solo in an airplane, and in 1937 she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared over the Pacific. Theories about their disappearance have ranged from being stranded on and island to having their remains devoured by coconut crabs.
