[1][2] Although Quimby died at the age of 37 in a flying accident, she strongly influenced the role of women in aviation.

[5] Her father had purchased a farm in Arcadia Township in 1874, and the family was recorded there in the 1880 United States census.

She moved to Manhattan, New York City, in 1903 to work as a theater critic for Leslie's Illustrated Weekly.

[14] Quimby continued to write for Leslie's even when touring with airshows, and recounted her flying adventures in a series of articles as the publication's aviation editor.

Ironically, one of the first articles published under her new title was "The Dangers of Flying and How to Avoid Them," an account of pilots who had died and a discussion of the need for proper safety precautions.

Quimby joined the Moisant International Aviators, an exhibition team, and made her professional debut in 1911, earning $1,500 in a night flight over Staten Island before a crowd of almost 20,000 spectators.

[16] As one of the country's few female pilots, she capitalized on her femininity by wearing a plum-colored satin blouse, necklace, and antique bracelet, with more practical trousers and high-laced boots.

As part of the exhibition team, Quimby showcased her talents around the United States and traveled to Mexico City at the end of 1911 to participate in aviation activities held in honor of the inauguration of President Francisco I.

[3] In 1911 Quimby also wrote seven screenplays or scenarios that were developed as silent film shorts by Biograph Studios.

She pointed the direction for future women pilots including her friend, Matilde Moisant, buried at the Portal of the Folded Wings.

[25] [26] In 1991 the United States Postal Service issued a 50 cent airmail postage stamp featuring Harriet Quimby.

Since Quimby's plane that she flew in 1912 was a brand new two-seater, the idea that the former was the aircraft that she was flying at the time of her death seems to be an urban legend.

There are also streets named after her in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (near its airport), Saint-Laurent, Quebec (a suburb of Montreal) and Opfikon, Switzerland.

In 2015, American media, citing Allyn Mark, president of Industry Visions Pictures, reported that plans were under way for a biographical film entitled Aeroplane Angel that would dramatize Quimby's life.