When we list some of the most iconic women of the modern era, there is a big chance that Amelia Earhart would be on it. She was written into the history books after becoming the first female pilot to ever fly across the Atlantic Ocean. But, unfortunately, on her attempt to cross the globe in 1937, she disappeared and was gone without a trace. Or was she?
As of May 21, 1932, Amelia Earhart went to become the first lady to fly non-stop over the Atlantic all alone. She was on her own so, obviously, there was a lot of danger that was there. After her 4th hour of flying, she had some issues. “I saw flames shooting from the exhaust pipe,” she revealed, “I became uneasy…It would have taken four hours to return, however, so I thought it would be safer to go ahead.” Her tank had leaked.
So since she was such a memorable woman for what she achieved, Amelia quickly gained fame. And following years of heavy speculation and inspection, several researchers might have the answers to finally unlock the secrets regarding Earhart’s intriguing tale. Where did she disappear to all those years? The curious case of Amelia Earhart may be uncovered...
There was yet another mysterious incident regarding Amelia's plane. Even though the Lockheed Electra aircraft was never uncovered, a group of explorers did find something which they assumed to be a part of the aircraft back in 1991. Tighar, or The International Group of Historic Aircraft Recovery, discovered the aluminum sheet on Nikumaroro. Tighar’s executive director Ric Gillespie was certain this was a part of Earhart’s plane.
And though Tighar’s discoveries were impressive, there was still a number of people who were skeptical about Gillespie’s announcement. A critic wrote, “everybody should have facts to back up [their] opinions, and Mr. Gillespie, well, he doesn’t.” But these people did find an “ointment pot” that seemed to be a Dr. Berry’s Freckle Ointment. She was conscious about her complexion so, “Earhart had freckles and is known to have considered them unattractive,” Gillespie explained.
The official U.S. statement on the topic of Amelia Earhart vanishing is that the pilot had run out of fuel while she was on air and had crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Electra did not survive its trip towards Howland Island, which was where Amelia would refuel. Till date, a lot of researchers have visited this site to hopefully get answers...
There is yet one other urban legend being circulated. There is another speculation on the reason for Amelia Earhart’s trip. Rumors arose that the former president Franklin D. Roosevelt was actually sending Earhart on a secret mission, that she was a spy. After a successful mission, the pilot came back home to the US and lived under a new alias, Irene Bolam. There are no facts to back this rumor up.
And so, in 1940, a number of bones had been found around the Pacific island of Nikumaroro. A rescue team held an expedition on the island and happened to stumble upon these bones. They were certain that these bones were, in fact, Earhart's. Since the island was along the flight path, this was quite plausible. After the rise in technology and forensics, some answers would soon erupt...
In the 1940s, scientists were running tests and exams to clarify the history of these discovered bones. Even though they were wishing that these bones were, in fact, Amelia Earhart's, it ended up not being so. The distinctive features clearly showed that these belonged to a human male and not a woman. But now, times have changed and scientists are as skilled as ever. So any answers?
This photo also led to another speculation regarding Amelia Earhart. Some claim that this was clear proof that she was actually abducted by the Japanese on her attempted flight to cross the Pacific. The photo allegedly has Amelia's flying partner Fred Noonan on the Jaluit Harbor of the Marshall Islands. Journalist Amy B Wang explained that “a figure with Earhart’s haircut and approximate body type sits on the dock, facing away from the camera.” This is still a topic of debate till now...
In the year of 1960, an elderly American coastguard called Floyd Kilts recited a story he had heard of 14 years ago. The tale was of a man who was walking through Nikumaroro and met with an incredible incident. “There in the brush about 5ft feet from the shoreline he saw a skeleton,” Kilts recalls, “What attracted him to it were the shoes. Women’s shoes, American kind…” Could this have been Amelia Earhart's shoes then…?
It seemed as though Amelia should have failed at attempting to cross the Atlantic. But she ended up beating the odds. And within 20 hours and 40 minutes after taking off from Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland, Earhart reached Pwll, nearby Burry Port, South Wales. “After scaring most of the cows in the neighborhood, I pulled up in a farmer’s back yard,” she stated. A farmer allegedly asked, “have you flown far?” which she answered, “from America.”
After the history-making flight, a huge parade had been organized in honor of her in New York City. Even Congress gifted her with a Distinguished Flying Cross. She became the only woman to receive this at that point. News about the amazing woman reached far and wide, all over the world. “She has succeeded in proving that the flight is not beyond the knowledge and the capacity for sustained endurance which a woman can acquire,” the Manchester Guardian had written.
Strangely, Earhart’s flight over the Pacific the following decade was completely different from her previous endeavor. Amelia was also the first woman to fly from Honolulu to Oakland, California. She then raised $80,000, Earhart and with her flying partner Fred Noonan wanted to fly across the seven seas. They were able to fly and cover 29,000 miles. The last stretch starting from Lae, New Guinea with only 7,000 miles to go would be unforgettable.
So on 2nd of July 1937, the final stretch for Earhart and Noonan commenced. The duo underwent some communication errors regarding their next fuel stop in Itasca. The weather had predicted mild weather before they began. But clouds unexpectedly appeared making Noonan unable to navigate by the stars. Their last words at 8.43am were Earhart announcing, “we are running north and south.” Then, they vanished...
Even with all the speculations and assumptions, there is one thing about Amelia Earhart that everyone can agree on. What could that be? We, there is no denying the fact that she is one of the most influential women in history. Before her failed attempt to cross the Pacific, she wrote a letter, “Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be a challenge to others.”
To be clearer on just how amazing Amelia Earhart is, you have to learn about where this all started. She was welcomed into this world in 1897 to parents Edwin and Amy. She was born in her maternal grandfather’s home, federal judge Alfred Gideon Otis. Her parent's first baby was stillborn so Amelia was super special. Her younger sister Grace also respected Amelia and regarded her as a hero too.
Some peopled may not know this but Amelia actually had a nickname. She even used her nickname even after she entered adulthood. Friends and family would all call her by the pet name, “Meeley,” while her sister Grace called her by an alias “Pidge.” Since their mom did not want them to be stereotypical girls, she raised them a little different. She wished for her girls have an identity and pave their ways in life.
Amelia Earhart even when she was just a child, was always eager for adventures. The future pilot and her sister would often go on small adventures within her neighborhood and sometimes further. The sisters would go and hunt rodents, some days climb trees and even slide down hills. She was indeed a fun loving tomboy who had no idea how much of an impact her life would be in the coming years.
A new breakthrough then came up that had a link to Amelia Earhart vanishing into thin air. Recently, Prof. Richard Jantz, a professor at the University of Tennesee, made a discovery that could serve as evidence for a popular theory. There had been so many speculations as to why she disappeared, but there might be an answer after all for Amelia's unsuccessful attempt to fly across the Pacific...
Earhart's first experience of flying cam when her uncle made a mini roller coaster for her. On this ramp, Earhart made her first flight, slid and flew, ended up with a ripped dress and an injured lip. Though some would be horrified, she revealed that this gave her a “sensation of exhilaration.” She then exclaimed to her sister, “Pidge, it’s just like flying!”
Amelia Earhart had indeed been one to be a little different from the crowd ever since she was just a child. She was such a seeker of thrill and adventure, hunting rats with a rifle and even climbing trees. It turns out, she even made a scrapbook, collecting newspaper clippings of successful women. After getting on a plane, she knew the sky was where she belonged. Working as a truck driver, Amelia earned money for her flying lessons and flew for the first time in 1921.
So for a legend like Amelia Earhart, to hear about her strange education is a little shocking. As a teenager, Amelia Earhart had to live with her grandparents. She was homeschooled by her mom too. A fan of reading, Earhart spent lots of time in her family’s library. So in 1909, Earhart and her sister had the chance to join an actual school and was already 12 years old joining the 7th grade.
After flying for the first time, Earhart with her yellow Canary went 14,000 feet up in the sky. This was the world altitude record for a woman pilot back then. The aeronautic authorities soon gifted Earhart with her official pilot’s license in the year 1923. She was the 16th woman to receive this. She soon went on to become the first lady pilot to cross the U.S. nonstop, from coast to coast in a plane.
After her impressive feats, Amelia was not a well known public figure who had to have a publicist. Meeting George P. Putnam, Amelia never anticipated that her relationship would grow into a romantic one. She was not easy to win over, making Putnam propose to her 6 times until she finally said yes proving once again how she yearned to be an independent woman. “You must know again my reluctance to marry, my feeling that I shatter thereby chances in work,” she explained in a letter to him.
After officially marrying in 1931, Earhart still wanted to keep her maiden name. When the New York Times wrote an article, “Mrs. Putnam flies Atlantic in record time” when she crossed the Atlantic, she wrote a letter to the publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger. She requested that she would be referred to as Amelia Earhart. She wanted to make a name for herself and not involve her husband's name.
Amelia Earhart had always wanted to prove that women can achieve whatever men could, which was not something popular during her time. She put an effort into making this happen and established an organization, the Ninety-Nines. Peculiar name right? Well, from the 285 licensed American female pilots back, 99 along with Earhart came together to support one another. The organization is now international, spreading across 44 countries.
Since she had contributed so much in the field of female empowerment, Amelia Earhart has had quite her share in pop culture. A song called “Amelia” had been written and performed by Joni Mitchell. “I was thinking of Amelia Earhart and addressing it from one solo pilot to another…sort of reflecting on the cost of being a woman,” Mitchell explained. Earhart has also been portrayed in popular movies such as 'Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian' and 'Amelia', respectively by Amy Adams and Hilary Swank.
After so many years since Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, her vintage car went out of trace back in 2018. This was such a rare car with just 14 models of this green and black 1932 Hudson Essex Terraplane to exist. Her car, now owned by car collector Jim Somers, was later found in an L.A. neighborhood after a week of going missing. This car is now estimated to be worth about $250,000 and half a million bucks.
With Tighar spending 13 separate expeditions to the island of Nikumaroro in the hope of discovering Amelia Earhart’s remains, there is a chance that the giant coconut crabs living there might have done it first. Inverse Science claims that these crabs may have eaten her corpse long time back. Though there is no proof of this, Tighar still wants to find out everything and anything relating to this intriguing topic...
Richard Jantz, who is a professor of the University of Tennessee, has a strong feeling that the bones actually do belong to Amelia Earhart. Though the discovered bones were not examined after their 1940 analysis, Jantz ran through them in the form of a collection of photos. Even though he cannot study it firsthand, he was certain he could identify the gender and ancestry using the computer.
Taking the measurements of the bones along with the photos, Jantz referenced it to Earhart’s height and weight during that time in 1937. He managed to collect the information of Earhart and photos of her after he did some digging. Doing some cross-reference and inspecting, Jantz could then conclude that the bones from Nikumaroro were a perfect match to Earhart, that it was hers.
Professor Richard Jantz has indeed done extensive research on Amelia Earhart. With Jantz’s findings, he is certain that the bones were Amelia Earhart's and no one else's. “From a forensic perspective, the most parsimonious scenario is that the bones are those of Amelia Earhart,” he added, “Until definitive evidence is presented that the remains are not those of Amelia Earhart, the most convincing argument is that they are hers.”
Jantz is so convinced that the bones were Earhart's, he believes that if it was not so, it would still belong to someone just like her. The professor believes, “[They were] more similar to the Nikumaroro bones than 99 [percent] of individuals in a large reference sample.” Adding, “If the bones do not belong to Amelia Earhart, then they are from someone very similar to her.” So could this be?
So if this professor's statement was to be true, then it would also mean that Floyd Kilts, the old coastguard's tale was right all along. It would also prove that Amelia Earhart, and her partner, Fred Noonan, had died as castaways there at the Pacific island of Nikumaroro. You can say whatever you will but cannot rub off the fact that Amelia Earhart had achieved so much to make gender equality a reality.
There are so many theories regarding Earhart's disappearance. Jantz firmly believes that Nikumaroro was the place where Amelia Earhart found herself in after crashing her plane. Another possibility is that some other woman with the same physique/background died there during the time Amelia and Fred were touring the world. Jantz’s research serves as an acceptable explanation leaving the mystery a little clearer...