Have you heard of Louise Thaden? We hadn't either, but she was out here breaking records as a female pilot in the 1920s. Yes, she knew Amelia Earhart. They were friends, but Louise was the first and only pilot to hold the women's records for speed, altitude and solo endurance — all at the same time.

She beat Amelia and other female competitors in the first all-women's transcontinental race, and in 1936, she and her co-pilot became the first women to win the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race, in one of the first years it was open to female competitors. 

Basically, she dominated her field. But she did it with grace and diplomacy. This week, we read and discuss her memoirs, High, Wide and Frightened, and then talk about her many notable accomplishments and why she's so dang inspirational.