Earhart was an Inspiration to women.
As a great inspiration to women, Amelia, was also known for being an adventurous child. She played basketball and took an auto course....
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Chubbs Unknown
The Flight of 1937
"Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn't be done."
-Amelia Earhart
Introduction:
From serving as a Red Cross nurse aid during World War I, to making records as an aviator. Amelia Earhart was an icon who has been remembered from generation to generation. She became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, and the first pilot to fly solo from Hawaii to California. Her special place was the sky, flying planes and breaking records. Unfortunately, on July 2, 1937, near a small island in the Pacific Ocean, Amelia Earhart, accompanied by her navigator Fredrick Noonan disappeared without leaving a trace (Editors 1). Her goal was to become the first pilot to circumnavigate the globe. Leaving no trace behind, many speculated, and tried to solve their disappearance, but to this day there does not exist any concrete evidence of the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. Here are the top three famous theories regarding their disappearance:
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Open-Ocean crash near destination
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Nikumaroro’s Castaway
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The Marshall Island Conspiracy
Looking into these theories, we can find out which is a plausible solution for the disappearance of Amelia Earhart:
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Before we get into the conspiracy theories, lets get to know her a little about her.
Character Traits
All My Stories
Conspiracy Theories
Open- Ocean crash near destination theory
This theory states that Earhart’s Electra ran out of fuel while crossing the Pacific Ocean. “According to the Itasca’s radio logs, Earhart indicated she must be near the island but couldn’t see it and was running low on gas.”(Greshko 1) Through trendy belief that this theory is the most reasonable, it is agreeable that the plane ran out of fuel and crashed in the Pacific Ocean as stated by Earhart. Not only were they running out of fuel, but they were also having communication problems as this was taking place in the pre-radar era. Unfortunately, the only reason this theory will not work is because the plane nor the crash site were ever discovered/found (Greshko 1).
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Nikumaroro’s Castaway
This theory states that Earhart and Noonan landed on Nikumaroro Island since they could not find Howland Island which was 350 nautical miles away located southwest. (Greshko 1) “At 8:43 a.m. on Earhart radioed the Itasca: “KHAQQ [the Electra’s call letters] to Itasca. We are on the line 157 337.” (Greshko 1) The Itasca received the transmission but couldn’t get any bearings on the signal. The “line 157 337” indicates that the plane was flying on a northwest to southwest navigational line that bisected Howland Island.” (Gresko 1) Not only was that a coincidence but in the same year the British were exploring the island “with the intent of colonizing it.” It was here that a colonial officer took a photograph of the shoreline. In the photo an unidentified object was shown, which TIGHAR speculated was a piece of Earhart's plane. They also found shoes from a male and female, as well as 13 bones and contained freckle cream which was a cosmetic that Earhart would always carry. (Greshko 1) Lamentably we will never know whether the bones belonged to Earhart or Noonan because the bones were lost, and even though the bones were measured before their disappearance, it was said that the bones could belong to that of a “woman of Earhart’s size and build.” Still, the evidence provided cannot be 100% certain since this theory is still being explored today. (Gresko 1)
Summary:
Amelia Earhart did everything she could to become an excellent pilot. Broke records as well as setting records that no one thought of achieving. She inspired women by doing things that were considered tomboyish. Overall, she was an incredibly determined person, having achieved her goal by fighting her way through all her hardships. She became a historical figure that will be remembered for generations to come. Though there are plenty of conspiracy theories out there, questions still stand, what happened? Where are there remains? Is the plane located at the bottom of the sea, or did they spend the rest of their lives living under different names in the U.S.? The world may never know.
The Marshall Islands Conspiracy.
This theory states that Amelia Earhart and Fredrick Noonan were captured and held hostage by the Japanese. Though this theory is not like the previous ones, because this theory has two outcomes. Some speculate that they were killed while others believe that they returned to the U.S with different names. Rollin C. Reineck, a retired U.S. Air Force stated that “If she couldn’t find Howland, Plan B was to cut off communications and head for the Marshall Islands and ditch her airplane there.” (Gresko 1) Though this was a scenario which he described in his book, Amelia Earhart Survived. Dick Spink a high school science teacher who supported Reineck’s claims, said in an interview “I heard a constant story from too many people in the Marshall to dismiss it. They said ‘she landed at Mili. Our uncles and aunts, our parents, and our grandparents know she landed there.’” (Gresko 1) Sadly, this theory will not work, says Elgen Long, a retired pilot. (Gresko 1) Long states that for the plane to have reached the Marshall Islands, it would have had to float miles away which is highly unlikely. Another pilot by the name of Fred Patterson agrees with Long’s opinion. His experiences in flying have validated his opinion. Not only was it far but it would have taken up to four and a half hours for the plane to reach Mili Atoll. (Gresko 1)
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