The first Flight Attendant

Ellen Church became the first airline stewardess, on a Boeing flight from Oakland, California, to Chicago, Illinois on the 15th of May 1930.

Ellen Church was a registered nurse and she suggested that the airline put registered nurses aboard airplanes to care for the passengers. She was hired to recruit and train seven additional women as stewardesses. The first 8!

Due to the cabin size and weight carrying limitations at the time, the criteria of hiring a flight attendant were strict to a height of 1.63 meters and maximum weight of 52.2 kilograms. In addition, they were required to be registered nurses, but could not to be more than 25 years old.