Birth near Coldwater, Michigan

Harriet Quimby was born on May 11, 1875, near Coldwater, Michigan, to William and Ursula Quimby. Her exact birthdate has long been a subject of minor historical debate—Britannica notes an alternative date of May 1, 1875, with a question mark indicating uncertainty—but the majority of biographical references, including Encyclopedia.com and Wikipedia, cite May 11 as her birth date.

Little is documented about the precise circumstances of her birth, as detailed records from rural Michigan in this era are sparse. What is known is that she was the youngest of three daughters born into a modest farming family. Her father struggled with various business ventures, and financial instability would shape much of Harriet's early life.

This humble, rural beginning stands in stark contrast to the cosmopolitan, daring figure Quimby would later become—a celebrated journalist in San Francisco and New York, and eventually the first American woman to earn a pilot's license and the first woman to fly solo across the English Channel. Her birth in the American Midwest, during an era when women had virtually no access to aviation or public professional life, makes her subsequent achievements all the more remarkable, reflecting a life that would repeatedly push against the constraints placed on women of her generation.