Ruth Law Oliver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth Law Oliver
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Ruth Law arriving in New York after flight from Chicago, 1916.
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| Born |
Ruth Bancroft Law
May 21, 1887 |
| Died | December 1, 1970 (aged 83) |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | American |
| Known for | aviation pioneer |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Oliver |
| Parent(s) | Sarah Bancroft Breed Frederick Henry Law |
| Relatives | Rodman Law(brother) |
Ruth Law Oliver (born May 21, 1887 – died December 1, 1970) was an amazing American pilot. She was a true pioneer in aviation during the 1910s. This means she was one of the first people to do important things in flying. She helped show the world what airplanes could do!
Contents
Early Life and Dreams
Ruth Bancroft Law was born on May 21, 1887, in Lynn, Massachusetts. Her parents were Sarah Bancroft Breed and Frederick Henry Law.
Ruth was inspired to fly by her older brother, Rodman Law. Rodman was a parachutist and a pioneer movie stuntman. He did daring things for films. Ruth always tried to keep up with him when they were kids. This made her very determined and brave.
Learning to Fly
Ruth learned to fly from instructors Harry Atwood and Arch Freeman. She took lessons at Atwood Park in Saugus.
She wanted to learn from Orville Wright, one of the famous Wright brothers. But he refused to teach her. Ruth said he believed women were not good with machines. This only made her more determined! She later said, "The surest way to make me do a thing is to tell me I can't do it." Ruth was also a very skilled mechanic.
She earned her pilot's license in November 1912. In 1915, she showed off her amazing flying skills at Daytona Beach, Florida. A huge crowd watched her. She announced she would "loop the loop" for the first time. She did it not once, but twice! Her husband, Charles Oliver, was very worried watching her.
A Baseball Prank in the Sky
In 1915, Ruth took part in a fun event for baseball. It was for the Grapefruit League, which is where baseball teams train in Florida. The manager of the Dodgers team, Wilbert Robinson, and player Casey Stengel heard about Ruth. They knew she had been dropping golf balls from her plane. They thought a similar stunt would be great for publicity.
On March 13, 1915, Ruth flew with Stengel (though he later said it was the team trainer). They were supposed to drop a baseball to Robinson. He was waiting below with his mitt. But instead of a baseball, a grapefruit was thrown from the plane! It might have been a prank or a mistake. The fruit splattered all over Robinson. He thought he was hurt and covered in blood. Luckily, he was fine. This funny incident is a popular story about how the Grapefruit League got its name.
Breaking Records
In the spring of 1916, Ruth competed in an altitude contest. She came in second place twice, just behind male pilots. This made her very angry. She was determined to set a record that no one, man or woman, could beat easily.
Flying Across America
Her biggest achievement happened on November 19, 1916. She broke the record for the fastest cross-America flight. The old record was 452 miles (728 km). Ruth flew nonstop from Chicago to New York State. This was a distance of 590 miles (950 km)!
The next day, she flew on to New York City. As she flew over Manhattan, her fuel ran out! But she was a skilled pilot. She glided her plane safely down to Governors Island. There, she was met by United States Army Captain Henry H. Arnold. He helped her by changing her spark plugs. Captain Arnold later became a very important general in the United States Army Air Forces.
President Woodrow Wilson even attended a special dinner in her honor on December 2, 1916.
A Fight for Women Pilots
After the United States joined World War I in April 1917, Ruth wanted to help. She tried to get women allowed to fly military planes. But her request was turned down.
Disappointed by this, she wrote an article called "Let Women Fly!" in Air Travel magazine. In her article, she argued that if a woman could fly well, it should prove she was fit for the job.
Setting New Altitude Records
After the war, Ruth continued to set new records. On June 7, 1919, Raymonde de Laroche from France set a women's altitude record. She flew to nearly 13,000 feet (3,962 m). Just three days later, on June 10, Ruth broke Laroche's record! She flew to an amazing 14,700 feet (4,481 m). However, Laroche then broke Ruth's record on June 12, flying even higher to 15,748 feet (4,800 m).
Later Life and Legacy
One morning in 1922, Ruth was surprised to read in the newspaper that she was retiring! Her husband had decided he was tired of her dangerous job. He took this step to end her flying career. Ruth agreed to his wish.
She later lived in Los Angeles and spent her days gardening. She felt unwell because she missed flying so much.
In 1948, Ruth attended an event at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C. This event celebrated the Wright brothers' Kitty Hawk plane. It was special because Orville Wright had refused to teach her years before. Even with her amazing flying career, Ruth traveled to this event by train.
Ruth Law Oliver passed away on December 1, 1970, in San Francisco. She is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn, Massachusetts.
Images for kids
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Law at Daytona Beach with her first plane, a Wright Model B
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Ruth Law in 1915: Her aircraft is a Curtiss Pusher, but has Wright Brothers control levers.
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Ruth Law arriving New York City in 1916
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Ruth Law at the Hotel McAlpin Hotel, 1917
