Ellen Church, a registered nurse and trained pilot, born in 1904 in Cresco, Iowa. Church wanted to pilot commercial aircraft, but those jobs were not open to women. Still wanting to fly, Church successfully worked to convince Boeing Air Transport that using nurses as flight-stewardesses would increase safety and help convince passengers that flying was safe.
She was hired, and on May 15, 1930, she joined the crew of the Boeing Model 80A headed to San Francisco. She is the first world’s female flight attendant.