philosophy

Arctic Climber

Matthew Henson

August 8, 1866 - March 9, 1955

“THE PATH IS NOT EASY, THE CLIMBING IS RUGGED AND HARD, BUT THE GLORY AT THE END IS WORTHWHILE.”

Spending 18 years of his life out in an expedition, Matthew Henson immersed himself in the unknown icy world of the Arctic, he learned the native language of the Inuit and was one of the first to start trade with them. Enduring extreme weather and hardships unknown to man at that time, Henson loved what he did and knew the rough journey was always worth the glory in the end.

Matthew Henson is a forever inspiration to us for pushing the boundaries of humankind and daring to do what most would not dream of.

Aerobat

Lillian Boyer

“The Girl of Nerve. The Aerial Sensationalist. The Fair Devil of the Air..”

January 15, 1901 – February 1, 1989

One morning in 1921 a young waitress decided she didn’t want to be in the passenger seat any longer. She jumped out of the open air plane and onto the wing the proceeded to walk to the edge for a better view. After that, there was no turning back. Lillian Boyer had finally found where she belonged. For close to eight years Lillian took her claim to fame as a wing walker performing death defying stunts for huge crowds around the world. “I don’t know if I lacked good sense or what, but I was never afraid.” Her signature trick– Hanging from the wing of the plane by her teeth.

Lillian is forever an inspiration to us for trying stunts that no human had done before with a smile on her face. Defying gravity, and showing thousands what was possible.

Explorer

Roy Chapman

“ALWAYS THERE HAS BEEN AN ADVENTURE JUST AROUND THE CORNER, AND THE WORLD IS STILL FULL OF CORNERS.”

January 26, 1884 – March 11, 1960

Indiana Jones himself was modeled after this crack shot of a man! From 1922-1930 Roy Chapman spent his time crossing the Gobi Desert, hunting for dinosaur bones and protecting him and his caravan from the native Mongolian tribes. To him escaping death was to be expected in the daily routine. This archeologist will go down in history for bringing home the first fossilized dinosaur egg, but his character will be remembered as much more!

Roy is forever an inspiration to us for chasing his adventure of curiosities wherever they took him. His character has inspired thousands throughout the centuries and will continue to do so.

Pilot

Bessie Coleman

“TELL THEM AS SOON AS I CAN WALK I AM GOING TO FLY”

January 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926

No one had ever heard of a black woman pilot in 1919. I refused to take no for an answer.” As a woman of mixed race, in the early 1900’s Bessie Coleman had to work hard to achieve her dream. Determined as she was, she saved up tips from her job for years to move to France and pay for flight school. Her passion took off from there, she became a successful show pilot and dreamed of starting a flight school for others minorities who longed of flying planes across the skies.

Bessie is forever an inspiration to us for not taking no for an answer, having the determination to achieve her dreams, and helping blaze the trail for women after her!

Explorer

Unknown

“THE REAL DISCOVERY CONSISTS NOT IN SEEKING NEW LANDSCAPES BUT IN HAVING NEW EYES.”
-PARAPHRASE FROM PROST-

We wanted to save this dedication for the women who go unnamed in the history books. The ones who have done remarkable and extraordinary work in the exploration of space. For centuries, women have been redefining gender stereotypes of what it means to be intelligent, successful, and courageous. We want to highlight those who have worked behind the scenes in aeronautics and space; the female researchers, astronauts, engineers, and physicists who dedicated their lives as equal colleagues in the discovery and understanding of the cosmos. This one is for you ladies.

These Unnamed Heroines will forever be an inspiration to us for breaking stereotypes and contributing their lives to exploration & science when most women would never dare!

Astrophysicist, Cosmologist, etc.

Carl Sagan

“SOMEWHERE, SOMETHING INCREDIBLE IS WAITING TO BE KNOWN.”

November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996

Calling our attention to the cosmos, the unknown frontier; Carl Sagan inspired thousands to look up and consider what existed beyond our place in the universe. An astrophysicist, astronomer, cosmologist, and author of over 20 books about space & the universe. Sagan stirred a profound sense of wonder in many when speaking about the importance of looking beyond our world and the possibility of life on other planets. He worked with NASA’s Voyager team to develop the gold disc with “greetings from the people of earth” in the hopes another life form might hear the message and know they are not alone.

Carl is forever an inspiration to us for being a theorist, explorer, and optimist. For him, no idea seemed too implausible if steeped in science. He is memorialized as the “astronomer for the people.”

Adventurer, Spy, Archeologist

Gertrude Bell

“I WILL HAVE NO LOCKED CUPBOARDS IN MY LIFE.”

July 14, 1868 – July 12, 1926

Dubbed the “Queen of the Desert,” Gertrude Bell is best known for her passion all things the Middle East. In 1892, young Gertrude took a trip to visit her uncle, the British Ambassador to Tehran, Iran at the time. To prepare she was self-taught in both the Persian and Arabic languages. After several trips, her fondness grew from that of a visitor to one of a life long resident, where Bell stayed the remainder of her life. Unlike any other woman, she was able to move as an equal among the men of the region. She is attributed with creating the National Museum of Iraq containing the most precious artifacts from Mesopotamia. A woman of intelligence and strong will, Bell became a famed writer, archaeologist, mountaineer, linguist and political officer remembered for her wit and perseverance.

Gertrude is forever an inspiration to us for making her presence know in an otherwise man’s world. Always curious about unfiltered culture, she made exploration her life.