Ruth Law Oliver
by johnataylor · 5 things on NewTwos
- Ruth Law Oliver (May 21, 1887 – December 1, 1970) was a pioneer American aviator during the 1910s.
She was born Ruth Bancroft Law on May 21, 1887, to Sarah Bancroft Breed and Frederick Henry Law in Lynn, Massachusetts.
She was inspired to take up flying by her brother, parachutist and pioneer movie stuntman Rodman Law, with whom she challenged herself to physically keep up during their childhood.
She was instructed by Harry Atwood and Arch Freeman at Atwood Park in Saugus, Massachusetts, having been refused lessons by Orville Wright because, according to Law, he believed that women weren't mechanically inclined, but this only made her more determined, later saying "The surest way to make me do a thing is to tell me I can't do it." She was an adept mechanic. She received her pilot's license in November 1912, and in 1915 gave a demonstration of aerobatics at Daytona Beach, Florida, before a large crowd. She announced that she was going to "loop the loop" for the first time, and proceeded to do so, not once but twice, to the consternation of her husband, Charles Oliver.
Her greatest feat took place on 19 November 1916, when she broke the existing cross-America flight air speed record of 452 miles (727 km) set by Victor Carlstrom by flying nonstop from Chicago to New York State, a distance of 590 miles (950 km). The next day she flew on to New York City. Flying over Manhattan, her fuel cut out, but she glided to a safe landing on Governors Island and was met by United States Army Captain Henry "Hap" Arnold (who changed her spark plugs in the Curtiss pusher), who would one day become Commanding General of the United States Army Air Forces. President Woodrow Wilson attended a dinner held in her honor on December 2, 1916.
- Resources on Ruth Law Oliver
- Key Facts About Ruth Law
- This list is part of my "Women in History Series" highlighting the accomplishment of amazing women and the impact they have had throughout history. Often underrated, forgotten and obscured by history, their stories need to be told, shared, and remembered.