The Scandalous Pancho Barnes & Her Happy Bottom Riding Club

This week’s story is about defying gender norms in the early 20th century, leading a life of adventure and chaos, and experiencing all the joy and heartache that comes with committing to authenticity. This is a tale of woman who was forced to marry a Reverend when she was just 19, and when she wanted out of the marriage and was refused a divorce, she told her husband she was going to live on her own terms. She became a stunt pilot and test pilot, breaking speed records and winning races. She tested planes that would eventually be flown by Buzz Aldrin (in fact the first plane Buzz Aldrin ever piloted, she was the one who tested it!). She was the first woman stunt pilot in Hollywood. She created a safe community for women. She unionized stunt pilots and doubled their pay. And she did a whole bunch of other things, but one of the most remarkable was that she sued the government and won. This week, Andrea and I are bringing you the story of Professor Thaddeus Lowe’s granddaughter, Florence Leontine Lowe aka Pancho Barnes.

Source info from:

Pancho Barnes and the Happy Bottom Riding Club by Amanda Pope and Nick Spark https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1094299/?ref_=nm_flmg_knf_t_3

Pancho: The Biography of Florence Lowe Barnes by Barbara H. Schultz

https://www.amazon.com/Pancho-Biography-Florence-Lowe-Barnes-ebook/dp/B0841ZLLVG/ref=sr_1_5

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