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Who won the first Women's Air Derby in 1929?

Louise Thaden.

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  1. Louise Thaden ✔
  2. Amelia Earhart
  3. Harriet Quimby

Why: Twenty women entered the 1929 race from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio. They faced threats and headlines saying the race should be stopped. Louise Thaden won.

Huh, didn't know that: It was the first cross-country race for women pilots.

The dad joke
Why did Louise Thaden win? She just plane outflew everyone.
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References

Answer: Louise Thaden. Twenty women entered the 1929 race from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio. They faced threats and headlines saying the race should be stopped. Louise Thaden won.

  1. FAA History Office: Women in Aviation www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/pioneers/women_in_aviation_2019.pdf
    Louise Thaden defeated her colleagues in the derby
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. FAA History Office: Women in Aviation www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/history/pioneers/women_in_aviation_2019.pdf
    Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio. Twenty women were entered in the race.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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