Janet Bragg facts for kids

Janet Harmon Waterford Bragg (born Jane Nettie Harmon) was an amazing American pilot. She was born on March 24, 1907, and passed away on April 11, 1993. In 1942, she made history as the first African-American woman to earn a commercial pilot license. This allowed her to fly planes for money. In 2022, she was honored by being added to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame.

Janet Bragg's Early Life and Career

Janet Harmon was born in Griffin, Georgia, on March 24, 1907. She was the seventh child in her family. Her family had both African and Cherokee roots.

Janet went to Episcopal schools and then to Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1929, she became a registered nurse. Soon after, she moved from Georgia to Illinois. She got a job as a nurse at Wilson Hospital in Chicago.

Janet married Evans Waterford, but their marriage ended after two years. She kept working as a nurse for doctors and studied at Loyola University. From 1941 to 1951, she worked as a health inspector for an insurance company.

In 1953, she married Sumner Bragg. Together, Janet and Sumner managed and started two nursing homes for older people in Chicago. They retired in 1972. Sumner passed away in 1986, and Janet passed away in 1993. Her book about her life, Soaring Above Setbacks, was published after she died in 1996.

Janet Bragg's Aviation Journey

Janet Bragg loved flying. In 1928, she became the first black woman to join the Curtiss Wright School of Aeronautics in Chicago.

Learning to Fly

In 1933, Janet (who was then Janet Waterford) joined the Curtiss Wright Aeronautical University. This was a special aviation school for black pilots. It was run by John C. Robinson and Cornelius Coffey. Janet was the only woman in her class, which had 24 black men.

In 1934, she used $600 of her own money to buy the school's first airplane. She also helped build the school's own airfield in Robbins, Illinois. That summer, she learned to fly and earned her private pilot's license.

Facing Challenges

In 1943, Janet wanted to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program. This program trained women to fly military planes during World War II. However, when she went for an interview, she was turned away because she was black. Ethel Sheehy, who worked for the head of WASP, would not even interview her. A few weeks later, she got a letter from Jacqueline Cochran, the head of WASP, saying she was rejected for the same reason.

She also tried to join the military nurse corps, but she was rejected again because of her race.

Earning Her Commercial License

After these rejections, Janet joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. She finished all her classes, passed her exams, and completed her flight test. But even after all that, she was denied a pilot's license in Alabama. They told her it was because she was a "colored girl."

However, Janet did not give up. She managed to get her commercial pilot's license at Pal-Waukee Field in Illinois. This made her the first African-American woman to hold such a license.

Later Years in Aviation

Janet Bragg was also involved in starting the National Association of American Airmen. This group was created to represent black pilots to the government.

She stopped flying in 1965. By then, she had flown for about 2000 hours, which is a lot of time in the air!

See also

In Spanish: Janet Bragg para niños