Monday, December 4, 2017

Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance - Amira Alhalaby


            “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.
“Putnam’s memories of Amelia” Youtube, 10 May 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAlZmXrQlpM.

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/.

No comments:

Post a Comment