This is Amy Wagenaar from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment. Hilda Mueller was the best driver in the world, and she competed in a male dominated field. Auto racing? No, hydroplane racing. Hilda Mueller was born in Bay City, Michigan in 1909. After high school graduation, she took a job clerking in the Bay City Cash Dry Goods Company. But Mueller longed for excitement. In 1929, veteran hydroplane racer Loretta Fillion issued a challenge for other women to compete with her in the upcoming Eastern Michigan Carnival Races in Bay City. Mueller jumped at the chance. She borrowed a racing boat from boat builder and racer Melvin Brady. Mueller took it for a spin. The motor's kill switch failed and Mueller crashed the boat into the docks. Afraid to face the huge repair bill that she was sure awaited her, she ran away. But Melvin Brady wasn't angry. He caught up with her, assured her that the boat could be repaired, and offered her a chance to drive it in the upcoming races. In her first race with Loretta Fillion, Mueller tore open her boat's hull and barely made it to shore. But she learned fast and in the next two heats defeated the reigning champion. In 1930, Hilda Mueller became a professional driver in the National Outboard Association. She won her first championship in a Memorial Day race against 15 male drivers in a Class C race in Worcester, Massachusetts. That October, Mueller won a national championship in a Class A race in Middleton, Connecticut. With a speed of just over 32 miles per hour. In 1931, Mueller traveled more than 10,000 miles on the hydroplane racing circuit and broke six world records, including the Class A Division II record of 38.23 mph. In October, Mueller defended her Class A title on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California. There she earned her second consecutive national championship. Hilda Mueller suffered a disappointing 1932. She couldn't find a boat and motor sponsor until September and failed to place in a Chicago race. She raced at the national championships in Bay City in October, but flipped her boat and was eliminated. Later that day, Mueller struck a chunk of wood in the Saginaw River and disabled her motor. Hilda Mueller retired from hydroplane racing when she married in 1933. She passed away in Gaylord, Michigan in 1978. This Michigan history moment was brought to you by MichiganHistoryMagazine.org.