Laura Bromwell got her start as a thrill-seeker when she jumped off the Roebling Suspension Bridge in her hometown of Cincinnati - a 110-foot drop! A crowd gathered to watch as she jumped, somersaulted in midair, and survived the plunge. Two years later, Bromwell was selling war bonds in Virginia and won a ride on an airplane. Shortly thereafter, she earned her pilot's license and enrolled in the New York City Police Aviation Service, eventually earning the rank of captain. The position was unpaid and volunteer, so Bromwell continued to participate in record-setting exhibitions.
On November 18th, 1920, Juliette planned a thrilling exhibition of her own. To kick-off Girl Scout week, Juliette and famous pilot and novelist, Laurence Driggs, took to the skies above New York City. Leaning out from the aircraft, the sixty-year-old Juliette dropped Girl Scout pamphlets over Central Park, 5th Avenue, and passed by Headquarters on 39th Street. The secret was out, confirming Juliette’s fearless spirit from 3,000-thousand feet in the air!
Juliette Gordon Low’s passion for aviation was more than a personal thrill—it was a bold declaration that girls and women belonged in the skies just as much as their male counterparts. From her daring flight with Norman Spratt to her aerial pamphlet drop over New York City, Juliette embodied the same adventurous spirit she worked tirelessly to instill in her Girl Scouts. At a time when women were often told to stay grounded, she helped them imagine flight—not just as a dream, but as a real and attainable goal. Her legacy lives on in the countless Girl Scouts who dared to explore new frontiers, fueled by the belief that courage, curiosity, and conviction could lift them higher than society ever expected.