“I
have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system,
and I hope this trip is it”, the words Amelia said in Miami before her trip as
the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (“Biography”). Since her
disappearance, several theories have conjured: she ran out of fuel and crashed
into the Pacific Ocean, she landed on Nikumaroro Island when they couldn’t find
their original destination and died there, and that Amelia and her navigator,
Fred Noonan, were held hostage by the Japanese on the Marshall Islands
(Greshko). There are many theories surrounding this mystery surfacing the
internet constantly. So, what really happened to Amelia Earhart?
Character Analysis
Amelia Earhart was a 39 year-old
independent and determined woman when she disappeared flying over the Pacific
Ocean (“Biography”). Even as a child, she was
above the normal maturity level compared to her peers (“Biography”). She was
one of the only children in her time to ignore the traditional female conduct
and look and she expressed this with her short hair and her lack of feminine
clothing. As a former tomboy, Amelia was raised with inspiring photos of women
working predominately male positions scattered all around her childhood room (“Biography”).
Young Amelia was stubborn and knew what she wanted from the very beginning (“Biography”).
Because of that, she became someone who fought for gender equality and did what
her heart allowed her to do, which led her to the opportunity to be the first
woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean (“Biography”).
A 32 year-old Amelia was never one
to settle down and commit to a lifelong promise because of her love of freedom
and independence (Burnikow). Staying true to her roots, Amelia was sure to
never take her significant other’s
last name due to her want of a partnership and not a marriage (Burnikow). Her
husband, publisher, manager, and public relations coach, George Putnam, only
got the chance to marry Amelia because he went along with a letter she wrote,
comprising of “things which should be writ before we are married” (Burnikow).
The list went on and talked about how Amelia needed a “place where I can go to be
myself now and then” for privacy and to be free of the boundaries marriage may
give (Burnikow). She also requested divorce if they were unhappy after a year
of being husband and wife, but fortunately, their marriage thrived due to their
dynamic (Burnikow). Putnam was more of an equal partner to Amelia and
supported, managed, and organized her career as a public figure as she didn’t
enjoy the fame her career gave her (Burnikow).
The first female aviator was a
significant character in her time because of her passion for tearing down
gender barriers and participating in activities regarding women’s equality (Watson). She strongly
believed “women should do everything men do” (Putnam’s memories of Amelia).
Though, Amelia didn’t consider herself to be a feminist exactly, she states her
views as not “’modern thinking’ or ‘feminism’
or anything of that kind, but just good common sense” (Watson).
Some of Amelia’s hobbies included traveling around the
country, informing women about the “opportunities for women in aviation” and
also forming her own fashion line of women’s flying apparel called Amelia
Fashions, ranging from wrinkle-free dresses to pants (Most). She used her fashion line as a way to inspire
women to pursue flying as a career because female flying apparel did not exist
prior to her brand (Most). Amelia wanted to increase the number of female
aviators by encouraging the women she lectured that they need to use their
voice and stand up for themselves (Watson). She would go on to explain how they
are just as capable as men when it comes to male dominating jobs in all
departments (Watson). The dreams Amelia had of becoming one of the women that
were once plastered in her childhood bedroom were coming true. She accomplished
her goal by visiting colleges and talking to the students about her career and
inspiring the women in the various classes that they can do whatever they set
their mind to (Watson). Although she didn’t consider herself to be a feminist,
Amelia contributed a great deal to post-suffrage women’s equality and she was
determined to use her platform in the public eye to broadcast her positions on
such (Watson).
The female aviating pioneer was
fearless and determined, which is a factor that led her to her disappearance.
Amelia flew with damaged planes many flights before her last and learned to go
along with it, despite the risks (“NewsPlayer
- Amelia Earhart”). If only Amelia was more careful about her activities
surrounding aviation, the possibility of her not going missing would be
extremely likely. In an interview after her flight across the Atlantic, Amelia
spoke about flying planes with a list of problems concerning it; she didn’t
mind the very possible result of death if it meant she had the opportunity to
fly (“NewsPlayer - Amelia Earhart”). George Palmer Putnam Jr., George Putnam’s
son from a previous marriage, labeled Amelia as “a can-do woman, well-qualified
mechanically and aeronautically”, which shows how confident Amelia was in her
abilities while flying those dangerous planes (Putnam’s memories of
Amelia).
Her disappearance was a shock to
everyone who cared to know about her. Amelia was smart when it came to her
aircrafts and its mechanics, which is why the fact that she went missing out of no where with the public watching
her journey is concerning (Putnam’s
memories of Amelia). Her image as the famous first female aviator was solely
for breaking gender normalities and doing what she loved in the air. Although
she was spontaneous and loved to be free, no one expected her to become nonexistent
in a profession she excelled at (Watson).
Conspiracy
Descriptions (Main Idea and Details with Survey Results)
Amelia
Earhart’s disappearance led to the surfacing
of several theories. The first conspiracy theory is that she and her navigator,
Fred Noonan, simply crashed into the Pacific Ocean after running out of fuel,
the second conspiracy is explaining how they were castaways on Nikumaroro
Island, and lastly, the third is they were taken hostage by the Japanese on
Marshall Islands.
The first
and most popular conspiracy suggests Earhart and Noonan ran out of fuel and
crashed in the Pacific Ocean on their way to Howland Island (Greshko). Amelia’s radio logs show that she attempted
to say she couldn’t find the tiny island they were supposed to land on to
refuel (Hanes). Shortly after the radio logs were sent, the plane tragically
ran out of gas and Amelia and her navigator crashed into the Pacific Ocean,
killing both of them (Hanes). To try and solve the mystery of her disappearance
based on this theory, a company that specializes in deep-ocean searches,
Nauticos, led an intensive hunt for Amelia’s plane in the area they believe
they crashed (Greshko). In the three expeditions held, not one organization
dedicated to Amelia found a clue as to where Earhart and her plane sank
(Greshko). If Amelia, Fred, and her plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, the
groups would have found them by now due to the amount of rigorous searches they
held. This theory doesn’t make sense because of the radio transmissions Amelia
sent for nearly a week after the supposed crash (Wootson). To fill the void of
confusion and uncertainty, the public wants to believe this as it is the only
theory without much thought. But, if Earhart’s plane did crash in the ocean,
the radio would not work because it would be submerged in water. So, if Earhart
and Noonan did crash into the Pacific Ocean, they would not be able to send the
radio transmissions that Amelia sent days after her disappearance. Although
this theory is the most accepted out of the three, the timeline of the story
does not piece together correctly and can be debunked easily.
The second
theory proposes Amelia and Fred landed on Nikumaroro Island, which is about 400
miles southwest of Howland Island, after realizing they were low on fuel (Greshhko). Earhart
missed her original refueling station on the way to Howland Island and spotted
Nikumaroro shortly after, so decided to land there instead (Hanes). Survey
results from 20 participants show that 45% believe Amelia Earhart did die as a
castaway on this island while the other 55% are most likely lacking the
information that makes this theory so convincing. The International Group for
Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) investigates this conspiracy by going on
sporadic expeditions to the island (Hanes). Evidence shows Earhart and Noonan
safely landed the plane on the reef of the island and got out only to have the
plane, the Lockheed Electra, sink and break apart after the tide swept it away
(Hanes). TIGHAR reports Amelia’s
bones may have been discovered on their expedition 3 years after their landing
(Wootson). The ratio of the castaway’s bones were identical to Amelia’s based
on the ones they found (Wootson). Some artifacts TIGHAR discovered included a
jar of freckle cream Amelia once said she preferred and a piece of plexiglass
from the plane she flew on the trip (Hanes). After the landing, the plane still
had enough gas in it to keep it powered and stay in contact using the radio
transmissions (Wootson). On the other end of the radio, the multiple navigators
listening recognized her voice calling for help before the plane died and cut
off communication with Earhart and Noonan permanently (Wootson). With all of
the evidence given, this theory best solves the disappearance of Amelia,
despite the lack of believers.
The third
and last conspiracy involving Earhart points to her and Noonan being captured
by the Japanese military after crashing their plane on Marshall Island (Hanes).
According to this theory, the foreign military believed Earhart and Noonan were
United States spies and took them as hostages after seeing the plane crash
(Greshko). After being captured, few believe they were both eventually killed,
but others believe they returned to the United States with a new identity for
national security reasons (Greshko). Apparently, Amelia’s new identity had a name, Irene
Craigmile, and a husband, Guy Bolam. These “new” identities were actual people
who resembled the female aviator. According to Rollin C. Reineck, a firm
believer of this theory, Amelia sent a radio transmission saying she was
heading north right before the Japanese captured her and Noonan and kept them
hostage (Greshko). But, this theory does not make sense and has many obvious
holes in it. It has too many false observations without any facts. For example,
there is no actual evidence that Craigmile has any association with Earhart,
only an observation, which has the possibility of being untrue. The only
evidence given is a blurry picture that supposedly shows people that resemble
Amelia and Fred by the ocean on Marshall Island surrounded by the Japanese
military. If this theory is the solution to Amelia’s famous disappearance,
there would be more clues as to where she is now, along with her plane.
The conspiracy theory of Amelia dying
as a castaway on Nikumaroro Island is the most plausible because she had a
great amount of experience surrounding the aviation world. She would not let
her plane run out of gas before landing and there is no proof of her being a U.S
spy or being captured by the Japanese military. Currently, expeditions to the
island of Nikumaroro, now called Gardner Island, are still being held in hopes
of finding at least one more footstep to figure out the mystery that is still
shaking the public.
To this
day, Amelia Earhart’s
disappearance remains one of world’s greatest mysteries. A few theories have
since accumulated: she ran out of fuel and fell in the Pacific Ocean, she
landed safely on Nikumaroro Island and died a castaway, and lastly, she wrecked
on Marshall Islands and was taken hostage by the Japanese military. While
significant evidence points to Amelia dying as a castaway on Nikumaroro Island,
the answer to her disappearance remains unsolved.
Works Cited
“Biography
- The Official Licensing Website of Amelia Earhart.” Amelia Earhart,
www.ameliaearhart.com/biography/.
Burnikow, Louise. “Amelia Earhart Marries
George Palmer Putnam.” Women's ENews, 25 June 2003, womensenews.org/2003/06/amelia-earhart-marries-george-palmer-putnam/https://www.ameliaearhart.com/biography/.
Greshko, Michael. “Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart's Disappearance.” National
Geographic, National Geographic Society, 11 July 2017,
news.nationalgeographic.com/
2017/07/amelia-earhart-disappearance-theories-spd/.
Hanes, Elizabeth. “Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance.” History.com,
A&E Television Networks, 2 July 2012, www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-amelia-9-tantalizing-theories-about-the-earhart-disappearance.
Jr., Cleve R. Wootson. “Amelia Earhart Didn’t Die in a Plane Crash,
Investigators Say. This Is Their Theory.” The Washington Post, WP Company,
2 Nov. 2016, www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/09/15/amelia-earhart-didnt-die-in-a-plane-crash-this-search-group-says-here-is-its-theory/?utm_term=.770e24f553eb.
Most, MaryCate. “Amelia Earhart: Using Fashion to Inspire Flight.” National
Air and Space Museum, 22 Mar. 2017, airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/amelia-earhart-using-fashion-inspire-flight.
“NewsPlayer - Amelia Earhart.” Youtube, 11 Apr. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=111&v=lJg_-IwsmBE.
Watson, Emilie. “Amelia Earhart: The
Flying Feminist.” Flight Paths: Purdue University's Aerospace Pioneers, 10
Mar. 2017, flightpaths.lib.purdue.edu/blog/2016/09/13/amelia-earhart-the-flying-feminist/.
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