The day is July 2, 1937, and the world’s first woman to fly across the Pacific solo, Amelia Earhart, goes missing as she attempts to circumnavigate the globe at the equator. Earhart was preparing to land for refueling and for more supplies at the Howland Islands, where the Coast Guard along with the ship Itasca were deployed to aid her in landing. Earhart radioed the ship to inform them that she was low on fuel; but the Itasca could not pinpoint her location nor could she pinpoint theirs, despite the Itasca pumping miles of black smoke into the air. She radioed “one-half hour fuel and no landfall” and later tried to give information on her position.1 Soon after, contact was lost, and Earhart presumably tried to land the Lockheed on the water.2 After this, no news of Earhart emerged, and she was officially declared missing, along with her copilot, Fred Noonan. What happened to Amelia Earhart?
Theories suggest that Earhart crash landed near Nikumaroro, an island near her original destination, Howland Island. It is said that Itasca, the nearby ship sent out by the Coast Guard, was able to pick up her transmissions, which is why it is believed that she was near the Howland Islands. In 1940, the colonial administrator of Howland Islands, Gerald Gallagher, discovered thirteen bones in what seemed to be the remnants of a campfire. The bones were shipped to Fiji to be examined by Physician D.W. Hoodless, who examined the bones and determined that they belonged to a stocky, short man of European descent, which would seem to rule out Earhart and Noonan. After deciding this conclusion, Hoodless discarded the bones, completely eliminating the chance for further examination. However, the International Group for Historical Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) took Hoodless’s original measurements and found that the bones could have possibly belonged to a tall woman of European descent.3 Earhart was known to be around 5’7 to 5’8. To entertain the bone evidence, TIGHAR Director Ric Gillespie states that the lack of bones could be caused by the island’s coconut crab population. Coconut crabs are known to grow up to three feet long, and can break open coconuts with their claws. The crabs could have possibly carried the remains of bone and flesh to their burrows for feeding.
Along with these bones, a shoe sole was found with writing on it, stating, “Cats Paw Rubber Company USA.” The sole was from the same type of shoe that Earhart was pictured wearing in Indonesia shortly before her disappearance. However, the sole belonged to a size-nine shoe, which would have been too big for Earhart’s feet, disproving the possibility of it being hers. But along with the sole, a sextant, an instrument used to find latitude and longitude, was discovered with the bones and campfire.4 This instrument could have belonged to Earhart, as it was very common for pilots to navigate through longitude and latitude using a sextant. It made sense that Earhart and Noonan could have used the instrument to determine their location after landing. To further this theory, across the island are findings of campfires, along with remains of fish, clams, birds, and turtles. Based on the way the clams were opened and the way the fish were eaten without their heads, it is more plausibly the activity of non-pacific islanders.
A less likely theory suggests that Earhart and Noonan were given orders that if they could not find the Howland Islands, to crash land near the Marshall Islands, which at the time were controlled by Japanese forces. The purpose of this could be so that the US army could move towards the area, claiming that they were “searching for Earhart.” Another claim is that Earhart and Noonan were captured by the Japanese Army and eventually killed.5 Evidence exists that shows that at the time, locals claimed seeing the plane crash on the island. Also, in 1944, an Army Sergeant named Thomas E. Devine claimed that he came across a group of US Marines guarding a hanger containing Earhart’s Electra, on the formerly settled Japanese Island Saipan.
Furthermore, a photo found in the national archives suggests that the photo contains Earhart and Noonan after landing on the Marshall Islands. However, the photo was subsequently found in a Japanese textbook published in 1935.6 Furthermore, experts claim that at the time, Earhart would not have had enough fuel to make it to the Marshall Islands, considering that in her last radio transmission, she claimed to have only seventy-four gallons remaining.
In conclusion, despite theories ranging from survival on islands to alien interference, most enthusiasts speculate Earhart crashed into the ocean, burned up in the crash, and sank to the bottom of the ocean. However, the world will never know what happened to Amelia Earhart unless the aircraft or a body is discovered. For now, the case of Amelia Earhart remains a mystery.
- Women In World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia, 2002, s.v. “Amelia Earhart,” by Doris L. Rich. ↵
- Candace Flemming, Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart (New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011), 30-36. ↵
- Kristina Killgrove, “The Mysterious Disappearance Of Amelia Earhart’s Skeleton,” Forbes Science Journal 02, no.1 (November 2016): 1-3. ↵
- TIGHAR Project Amelia, “The Sextant Box Mystery,” Earhart Project Research Bulletin 2, no.12 (January 1999): 1-2. ↵
- Johnny Dodd, “Does This Photo Prove Amelia Earhart Survived Her Flight,” Journal Of Human Interest 14, no. 4 (July 2017): 1-2. ↵
- Two Leaf Yakosubi Store, The life line of the sea My figure of the South Sea: South Sea archipelago photo book (Two Leaf Yakko Cloth Store, 1935), 34-35. ↵
83 comments
Joshua Breard
I think that this is one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in the world today. I have seen many different documentaries on the Earhart case and think that each comes away with a more fascinating approach to this case. I think a good theory is that she crash landed on an island and could not communicate from there. All these theories you presented are plausible and could have been what happened to her but until then the case of Earhart remains unsolved. Very informative and definitely a good read!
Richard Navarro
Very very interesting article. I never knew that Amelia Earhart went missing. It’s crazy to think that she could have survived on the island and eventually just died. At least she had company. This article contains very good information about the story of Amelia Earhart. I wonder if they will ever find the plane or her body. I have no idea how people actually identified Amelia and her co-pilot in a textbook, they don’t even show her face.
Lauryn Hyde
When I had first heard of the Amelia Earhart story I was very intrigued and have always found interest in mysterious. I had just recently heard of the different theories surrounding her disappearance and find this article a great way of conveying these theories. I find the picture and research they have done to try to prove it to be Earhart very interesting.
Veronica Spryszynski
All of the theories seem possible, I think either they crashed into the water or they landed and tried to survive but failed because if they would have succeeded in survival they would have found a place to contact the outside world. I fear what was really the outcome of them both because of the strange events and unexplained findings, I was kept engaged in the article.
Mark Martinez
A well written and put together article that kept me interested the entire time. I always wanted to know what happened to Amelia Earhart, it just seemed strange how something so planned out could end so badly. I’ve heard the stories about the Bermuda Triangle, abducted by aliens, but the most realistic theory is one I never heard before. The idea that Amelia Earhart could have been captured by an enemy country never accrued to me.
Edith De Loera
I have heard of the many theories regarding Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, leading me to wonder what truly happened. Most of the theories sound ridiculous and maybe even a bit humorous but when it comes to these mysteries, we will never really know what exactly occurred. I hope people keep investigating this case because I’d like to find out what happened.
Justin Garcia
This is a very interesting case of someone going missing. Amelia Earhart stood out in many ways, she was one of the first female pilots of her time and was attempting what most would say was impossible clearing the pacific ocean. It is still crazy to believe that with her massive popularity there wasn’t more done to find her. That just leaves the outcome to the imagination, still it was a shame she was never found. She was a great role model for everyone around her and still is to this day.
Benjamin Voy
Its incredible that such an influential figure in woman rights has just vanished from the face of the earth. It must have been devastating at the time for female activists to hear of Amelia’s disappearance as she must have been a great role model. I cannot comment on what I think happened her and he co pilot as i truly don’t know enough about it yet, however this article has intrigued me enough to do my own research and come to some kind of conclusion. A great article.
Briana Myers
I had known before reading this article that Amelia Earhart had disappeared after trying to go around the globe. I did not know, however, that there were possibilities that they might have found where she and her co-pilot landed. I had assumed that there would be theories as to where she landed but I am amazed to find out that Amelia’s bones might have been found. This article had definitely informed about something that I was not aware about. It is very interesting to also read about the theories that have been thought of to explain the disappearance of Amelia Earhart.
Cameron Ramirez
It is sad to say that we probably will never find Amelia Earhart’s and Fred Noonan’s body and their plane. I have found the conspiracy theories to be quite entertaining yet primary, not plausible. I enjoyed your reading your article on the missing case of poor old Amelia Earhart. I thought the pictures you added helped convey your article and it was great. Overall, good work on your article and hope to read more.