You just did an excellent job of proving my point.
In 1928, Amelia Earhart entered public notoriety for being the first female passenger to be flown across the Atlantic Ocean. In her own words: "Stutz did all the flying--had to. I was just baggage, like a sack of potatoes. Maybe someday I'll try it alone." This is the first time she made the papers, it's where the general public first heard her name, but it's not really what she's remembered for today.
"Someday" came four years later in 1932, when Amelia flew her Lockeed Vega solo from Newfoundland to Ireland in a bit over 14 hours. Congress awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross. This achievement IS on the list of what we remember her for today, it's usually the third bullet point down after "was a pilot that was also a woman" and "disappeared in an attempt to fly a Lockheed Electra around the world in 1937."