Aloha Wanderwell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aloha Wanderwell
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| Born |
Idris Galcia Welsh,
13 October 1906 |
| Died | 4 June 1996 (aged 89) Newport Beach, California, United States
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| Nationality | American/Canadian |
| Other names | Idris Welsh, Idris Galcia Hall, Gilvis Wanderwell, Aloha Wanderwell, Aloha W Baker |
| Occupation | World Automobile Traveler, Filmmaker, Aviator, Author, Explorer, Travel lecturer, editor, screenwriter, radio performer, spoke 11 languages |
| Known for | First Woman to Drive Around the World in an automobile, starting at 16. certified, Guinness World Records |
| Spouse(s) | Walter Wanderwell (m. 1925; died 1932) Walter Baker (m. 1933) |
| Children | Valri (b. 1925) Nile (b. 1927) |
Aloha Wanderwell (born Idris Galcia Hall, October 13, 1906 – June 4, 1996) was an amazing American-Canadian explorer, writer, filmmaker, and pilot. In the 1920s, when she was still a teenager, she traveled an incredible 380,000 miles. She visited 80 countries, becoming the first woman to drive around the world. She did this in a Ford Model T car! Her journey started when she was just 16 years old and took five years, from 1922 to 1927.
Contents
Early Life and Adventures
Idris Galcia Welsh was born on October 13, 1906, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Her parents were Margaret Jane Hedley and Robert Welsh. When her mother married Herbert Hall in 1909, Idris's name changed to Idris Hall. Her stepfather was a builder and rancher on Vancouver Island. The family lived in Parksville and Duncan.
In 1914, when World War I began, her stepfather joined the Canadian army. He was later transferred to the British Army. Idris, her sister Margaret, and their mother followed him to Europe. They traveled around England, Belgium, and France. Sadly, in June 1917, Herbert Hall was killed in battle in Ypres, Belgium.
During this time, Idris went to special boarding schools in Europe. She studied in Courtrai, Belgium, and also in Nice, France.
Driving Around the World: 1922–1927
Idris started her amazing adventure when she met Walter "Cap" Wanderwell in 1922. She became the first woman to drive all the way around the world. Her journey began and ended in Nice, France. It lasted from December 29, 1922, to January 1927.
Aloha drove a Model T Ford car. She was not just the driver; she also translated languages and filmed their travels. The Ford Motor Company helped sponsor parts of their trip. They also earned money by filming their adventures and giving talks about their journeys. They traveled through Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. In 1924, in Calcutta, India, they even met planes from the first time anyone flew around the world! Aloha filmed this special meeting.
Meeting the Bororo People in Brazil
In 1930 and 1931, Aloha Wanderwell learned to fly a German seaplane. She even landed it on a part of the Amazon River that wasn't on any maps! This happened when the Wanderwells traveled to Mato Grosso in Brazil. They set up a camp and were looking for a lost explorer named Colonel Percival Harrison Fawcett. He was searching for a legendary place called the Lost City of Z.
They made several flights in their seaplane. Once, they ran out of fuel on the Paraguay River. Luckily, the Bororo people helped them. The crew's cameraman filmed a special ceremonial dance. This was a "first contact" moment with the Boboré villagers. A 32-minute silent film called Last of the Bororos shows this. It is now kept safe at the Smithsonian Institution. The film also shows Aloha Wanderwell meeting the famous Brazilian explorer Cândido Rondon.
Life with Walter Wanderwell
When Aloha arrived in the United States in 1925, she married Walter Wanderwell. They got married on April 7 in Riverside, California.
Aloha had a daughter, Valri, in December 1925. Her son, Nile, was born in April 1927. The Wanderwells kept traveling, sailing to Cuba and South Africa. Their worldwide tour included 43 countries.
The Wanderwells later returned to the United States. They made their home in Miami in 1929. In 1932, her husband, Walter, passed away in Long Beach, California.
Later Adventures and Career
Aloha later married Walter Baker in Louisiana. The couple traveled to many new places. They visited New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, India, Cambodia, and even Wyoming in the USA. Aloha once told a story about being surrounded by five groups of elephants and having to find a way to get out safely.
Her later films include To See the World by Car (from 1935–1937), India Now, and Explorers of the Purple Sage, in Technicolor. This last film has the only known video of Desert Dust, a very famous wild horse.
Aloha and Walter eventually settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. Aloha worked in radio broadcasting at WLW Radio in 1939. She also wrote for newspapers and magazines. In 1947, she and Baker moved to Lido Isle in Newport Beach, California. Aloha gave her last public talk in 1982 for her family and friends. She passed away on June 4, 1996.
Interesting Facts About Aloha Wanderwell
- She took the name "Aloha Wanderwell" after joining Walter "Cap" Wanderwell's round-the-world car trip.
- The first woman to drive around the world was Harriet White Fisher in 1909–1910. But she had a driver and did not drive the car herself. Aloha was the first woman to drive the car herself!
- Besides dealing with bad roads, the Wanderwells often had trouble finding gasoline for their cars. When they traveled through Africa from 1926–1928, they used crushed bananas for grease. They even used elephant fat for engine oil!
- Aloha visited more than 80 countries and six continents. She drove over 500,000 miles in Ford cars.
- The Wanderwells gave one of their Model T cars, called Little Lizzie, to Henry Ford. This was before a showing of their film, Car and Camera Around the World. Sadly, in 1942, Henry Ford decided Little Lizzie and 50 other cars should be used for the war effort.
- Wanderwell wrote a book about her travels called Call to Adventure!. It was first published in 1939 and then again in 2012.
Filmography
- Car and Camera Around the World
- To See the World by Car
- River of Death
- Cape to Cairo
- Last of the Bororos
- Flight to the Stone Age
- Australia Now
- Victory in the Pacific
- My Hawaii
- Magic of Mexico
- India Now
- Explorers of the Purple Sage
See also
In Spanish: Aloha Wanderwell para niños
