Beryl Markham, raised by a pioneer father in Kenya, went into history books despite crashing a plane to prove a point to her friends on a truth and dare game mission.
Born in the United Kingdom before her parents moved to Kenya, she became the first person in the world to fly alone across the Atlantic, from east to west. Her father was a British tycoon who was among the first individuals to embrace horse racing in Kenya.
Markham started her flying lessons in Kenya with a professional pilot known as Campbell Black. After a few months of learning, she bought her own plane, an Avion IV, with a plan to operate a charter service in the country.
Her first trip on her plane was in 1931, when she flew from Kenya to England crossing the desert all by herself. She made a landing at Aerodrome on May 17 making headlines worldwide.
Returning to Kenya, she prepared for her commercial pilot exam both written and practical tests. She excelled becoming the first Kenyan trained pilot to obtain a commercial pilot's license.
She then decided to explore a new career path as a relief pilot for East African Airways.
After honing her flying skills for years, Markham expressed interest in entering the air race at Johannesburg South Africa. Her fellow pilot offered to sponsor her newly-found passion only on one condition.
She dared Markham to successfully cross the Atlantic ocean, east to west. Markham accepted the challenge.
"Two weeks from now I am going to set out to fly the Atlantic to New York. Not as a society girl. Not as a woman even. And certainly not as a stunt aviator. But as a pilot-graduate of one of the hardest schools of flying known, with 2000 flying hours to my credit. The only thing that really counts is whether one can fly," she wrote in her letter to London Daily Express.
She added, "If I get across, it will have been worth it because I believe in the future of an Atlantic air service. I planned this flight because I wanted to be in that air service. If I get across I think I shall have earned my place."
On September 4, 1936 Markham took off despite bad weather and waiting for three days for her flight to be approved. She battled the foggy weather for 21 hours until she completed her mission.
However, her mission was derailed at the close to the runway. Markham's plane, The Messenger, crash-landed in a peat bog on the Coast of Nova Scotia.
She sustained injuries on her forehead when the plane skidded into a boulder and further went nose up.
But her heroic stunt caught global attention. A girl raised in Njoro, Narok was greeted by thousands of cheering fans.
After breaking history, she was offered a job by England which she declined venturing into flying races. She inked a deal with one backer to fly around the world and decided to relocate to America where she continued with her passion.
Her success in fly racing saw a number of movie stars approach her to reproduce her solo stunt to fly across the Atlantic, but to date the movies have never been released.
Her marriage life in Kenya was not successful as she was divorced twice forcing her to live a single life. She however died in 1986 leaving behind a rich history in Kenya.
