Katherine Stinson Securing Magnesium Flares to Her Laird Biplane at the Tri-State Fair, October 1916

Attracted by the high fees paid to stunt pilots, Katherine Stinson earned her pilot's license in 1912 as a way to finance music lessons. Flight quickly replaced music as her passion and Stinson became one of the most skilled pilots of her era. She became the first woman to skywrite at night, using flares like this, in 1915.