Thursday, December 14, 2017

Amelia Earhart Conspiracies by Katie Nifong

In July of 1937, the record breaking American Aviator, Amelia Earhart, disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during her attempt to circle the globe. Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were last seen July 2 refueling her aircraft in Lae, the capital of the Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea. President Franklin D Roosevelt declared an extensive two-week search for the pair that never gained success, leaving them with the label “Lost at Sea” on July 19, 1937. Earhart was flying in a twin-engine Lockheed 10E Electra that still today has never been found. There are many questions and theories about what happened to Earhart and her aircraft that have been left unanswered for decades.
1.         Did Earhart run out of gas and crash in the Pacific Ocean?
2.         Was Earhart executed when taken into Japanese custody?
3.         Did Earhart land near Nikumaroro Island and become stranded?
Although after recent studies it is thought she was most likely taken into Japanese custody, we’re going to analyze all these possibilities of what could have happened to Amelia Earhart.
Character Analysis
Amelia Earhart was a determined aviator who had a bright life ahead of her until she went missing over the Atlantic Ocean in 1937. Amelia was tremendously talented and used this talent to become one of the most successful, fantastic, incredible pilots in female history. Earhart was 5 feet and 8 inches of pure courage (Hanes).  Not only did Earhart’s internal qualities, such as her imagination and success, catch the attention of many people, but her light hair and eyes also drew a strong light towards her. Although, her short haircut lacked femininity, Earhart still stood with pureness and grace as a real woman should. Earhart was a spitting image of pure adventure topped off with a bright smile.
            Earhart was a very curious and always wanted to know more about everything she could, planes just being one of these many things. Filled with many different talents, Earhart was tremendously well-rounded and could do just about anything she put her mind to. Working as a part-time as a file clerk, office assistant, photographer, and truck driver, Earhart used her many talents to work, saving her money to later purchase her first plane, a bright yellow Kinner Airstar that she named ‘The Canary’ (Adler). Flying being an expensive hobby, Earhart’s many jobs and talents eventually could no longer support the costs of her plane, fuel, and flying lessons (Levith). Regardless, this did not discourage Earhart a single bit and she continued her journey to change American Aviator history.
            Earhart had a complicated relationship with her parents and lived with her 2 grandparents until she was about 12 years old (Levenson). Although, her parents missed a large part of childhood, Earhart being as forgiving as she was, did not hold his against her parents and still loved them just as much as she would’ve if they spent her first 12 years with them.  For example, when Earhart’s mother could no longer support their family, Earhart decided to do what was best for her whole family and without hesitation sold her plane (Massey). This action revealed Earhart’s selflessness and genuine dedication to her family as a whole no matter their past circumstances.
Earhart was overall a very unsure and indecisive lady. Before Earhart’s career as an aviator, Earhart attended a pre-medical program at Columbia University where she planned on becoming a certified doctor (Calvit). Earhart attended Columbia from fall of 1919 to the spring of 1920. Earhart was considered academically brilliant at Columbia University and had great grades before she decided to leave (Calvit). Earhart finally abandon her dreams of becoming a doctor and moved back to Los Angeles, California to live with her parents and try to keep their marriage afloat (Massey).
As one of the only women in the flying world, Earhart tried tremendously hard to earn the respect of the many men in the field. Although it was a challenge, Earhart achieved this goal and was asked to join an all-male flight crew in 1928 (Poirrier). The crew was the idea of George Palmer Putnam. Putnam admired Earhart’s lady-like appearance, grace, and experience with flying. The crew’s mission was to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, from the Newfoundland to Wales (Poirrier). Earhart was extremely excited for this mission, but was left disappointed by the lack of purpose she truly served when this mission was completed. Earhart claims she was as useful as a ‘sack of potatoes’ in this mission, not even touching the controls once (Poirrier). Upset, but still honored to be included, Earhart earned the title as ‘the first woman to fly the Atlantic.’
Earhart was constantly feeling the need to try to prove herself. Receiving constant hate, Earhart felt pressured and obligated to verify her skills as a pilot. The press bashed on Earhart claiming she as a “puppet figure created by her publicist husband” (Adler). Earhart did not hesitate to try to prove the press wrong and decided she would do so by flying a miniscule, single-engine Lockheed Electra from Canada, to Ireland (Adler). Not only did she successfully prove them wrong, she continued to prove them wrong and on May 20th, 1932 became ‘the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic’ (hisorystaff.com).
            In 1932, Earhart used her motivation and success as an aviator to build a fashion line (Levenson). This fashion line revolved around her passion leading her to develop clothes specifically designed for flying. Earhart went from a flying icon, to a fashion icon as well. Earhart’s fashion line was even featured on a 2-page spread in Vogue Magazine (Levenson). Earhart was always aware of how important her image was, which attracted many name brand stores, such as Macy’s and Marshall Fields, to carry her clothing line in all their stores. Earhart was a spitting image on success all around (Levenson).
            Earhart was born a record breaker and never passed up an opportunity to break a record. Earhart loved to be known as the ‘best of the best.’ Breaking over 10 records, Earhart was an inspiration to women all over America. Amelia Earhart stood as women’s rights icon in a time that women were not thought of as much (historystaff.com). Not only did Earhart change aviation history, she also changed female history as we know it today. Earhart broke a barrier between men and woman that was thought of as impossible to change. Earhart still stands as a symbol for dedication, determination, passion, heroism, adventure, unpredictability, and bravery today.
Conspiracy Descriptions (Main Idea and Details with Survey Results)
After the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, many conspiracy theories were thought up to explore the possibilities of what could have happened to the couple while crossing the Pacific Ocean. These include; The couple running out of gas causing them to crash and sink somewhere into the Pacific Ocean, landing safely on Gardner Island and dying before getting the chance to be rescued, and being captured as prisoners after crashing into an island under Japanese control. Provided that, all the theories are constructed with convincing points and certainty, but there is one theory that is more structured with evidence than the others making it the most credible and believable.  

            The first conspiracy and most common theory is that the couple ran out of gas leading them to crash and sink somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. It is said Earhart flew slightly off course when crossing the Pacific Ocean in attempt to get to her next stop, Howland Island (Levenson). At one point, Earhart was also in touch with the US Coast Guard cutter Itasca, which is just outside Howland Island, their planned landing location. Earhart had informed the coast guards she was running low on fuel and could not seem to locate their desired destination (Levenson). This was the last time anyone heard from Amelia Earhart. This theory is the most popular theory because of the fact their plane still today has never been found. This theory is supported by the fact their plane was never found because if they had crashed into the ocean, after running out of gas, their plane simply would have filled with water leaving the aircraft and their bodies at the bottom of the ocean, never to be found. Earhart’s plane allegedly was carrying a life raft and emergency supplies, but even so it would have been very difficult to survive such a treacherous crash (historystaff.com). It is very surprising to many that their plane was never found due to the amount of time and money the government spent trying to locate the aircraft. After the first 2 weeks of Earhart’s disappearance the government had spent an estimated $4 million dollars, earning the title as the most expensive search in US history, but still no plane or bodies have been revealed to solve this mystery (Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart's Disappearance).
          The second conspiracy claiming the couple crashed safely and was unable to radio for help, leaving them stranded on the tiny island of Gardner, is slightly less popular than the first, but surprisingly holds more evidence than the first theory. The island of Gardner (present day Nikumaroro) is approximately 350 miles south of their wanted location, Howland Island (Ryall). The idea is that the couple safely crash-landed into a nearby reef on the coast of Gardner and then traveled to shore where they attempted to transmit for help, but were unsuccessful due to water damage and poor connection issues (Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart's Disappearance). Many people question what could have happened to the plane and the most reasonable explanation is that it drifted into the ocean getting pulled by strong high tides (historystaff.com). Although there are many holes in this theory, there is also a lot of evidence that supports this claim. In 1940, Britain discovered a skeleton on Nikumaroro (Levith). The skeleton was identified as a male, leaving the possibility open it was the skeleton of Fred Noonan (Levith). After the skeleton was lost during World War II, the doctor’s notes on the skeleton were discovered in 1998 (Levith). Disregarding the determined gender of the skeleton, Earhart and the skeleton had striking similarities. Forensic and orthopedic expert, Jeff Glickman, decided to dedicate a lot of time and research into studying the nearly identical structures of the two (Levith). Glickman extensively studied photos of Earhart and calculated her radius-to-humerus ratio to be 0.76, almost the exact same as the 0.756 calculated by the Britain in 1940 (Levith). Also found on the island was what is thought to be an empty container of Dr. Berry's Anti-Freckle Ointment, Earhart’s favorite (Lorenzi). The empty bottle was broken into 5 pieces, but when reassembled shares the exact same shape and size as Dr. Berry's Anti-Freckle Ointment (Schedule B). Earhart had admitted in multiple interviews she disliked her freckles and was seen using this ointment on multiple occasions to help fade them (Lorenzi). All in all, there is a lot of evidence that supports this theory, but there is simply not enough to declare this is where Earhart and Noonan landed. 

            The third conspiracy theory, that Earhart and Noonan were taken into Japanese custody, has caused a lot of talk and discussion lately after recent evidence was found. This theory suggests that the pair was flying over the Pacific Ocean when they crashed into the Marshall Islands, which was under Japanese custody at the time. The two are thought to be taken as prisoners, where they then spent the rest of their lives captive in a prison in Saipan. Many locals of the island claim they saw a plane, described as the same one Earhart was flying, fall from the sky and crash off the coast of the Island (Westcott). In addition, locals of the island also claim they even saw Earhart and Noonan captive under Japanese custody (Westcott). Considering that, the most reliable and rational piece of evidence was recently discovered.  A photograph, which is thought to be of Earhart and Noonan, was discovered early in July of 2017 in the United States National Archives (Ryall). The photo is of a group of people sitting on a dock at Wharf at Jaluit in the Marshall Islands (Ryall). A woman with a short haircut sitting with her back faced towards the camera and a tall man standing with his face angled slightly towards the camera are believed to be Earhart and Noonan (Schedule A). The faces of the two are not clear enough to be identified, but led to researchers to discover more reason to believe it is the pair. Facial recognition expert, Kent Gibson, examined previous photos of Earhart, studying her bodies figure and measurements, drawing the conclusion it is ‘very likely’ it is Earhart (Lartey). The specialist focused on Earhart’s shoulder measurements in previous photos of her and compared them to the measurements of the short haired lady in the photo (Lartey). He claims the similarities are astonishing. Gibson also reviewed the tall man in the photo and declares the receding hairline on the tall man is almost a dead giveaway that it is Noonan (Lartey). Lastly, two metal fragments, thought to be from Earhart’s Lockheed Electra, were found in the Marshall Islands in late June of 2015 (Ryall). After the pieces of metal were examined and studied by Alcoa, the constructers of the aluminum used on the aircraft, they drew a conclusion that one of the fragments was a part of the dust shield that was made for the brake assembly of the plane’s wheel, while the other fragment was a part found in the wheel well (Ryall).
            After researching all the possible theories, it is the most legitimate that Earhart and Noonan were taken into Japanese custody after crashing into the Marshall Islands. In a Twitter conducted survey, surprisingly only 26% of people believe she was taken into Japanese custody, while 57% believe she crashed into the Pacific Ocean and 17% believe she was stranded on Gardner Island. This low 26% could be due to the lack of knowledge about the recent photo evidence found earlier this year. The photo found in the National Archives is the backbone of the theory that she was taken into Japanese custody and could possibly change a lot of people’s opinion if they were aware and educated on the photograph found. Today, many researchers and experts continue to dig for clues to solve this mystery, but after recent evidence it is most credible she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were taken into Japanese Custody.
Conclusion
As days go by, it is still a mystery what happened to Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan. As people have tried to solve this mystery, three unique conspiracy theories have evolved, making people explore the possibilities of what happened to the pair.
1.         Earhart and Noonan ran out of gas crashing into the Pacific Ocean
2.         Earhart and Noonan crashed near present day Nikumaroro, leaving them stranded to die
3.         Earhart and Noonan were taken into Japanese custody where they were executed in prison
Even after 80 years, scientists and researchers still strive to put the pieces together about what happened to Earhart and Noonan. Today, people continue to argue and debate over the possibilities even though there is no definite conclusion. It is a shame that Earhart only got to inspire the world for 39 years, but her legend as being a pilot icon still lives on today. 

  
Works Cited
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<http://www.notablebiographies.com/Du-Fi/Earhart-Amelia.html>
Hanes, Elizabeth. "Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance." History.com. July 02, 2012. Accessed December 13, 2017.
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History.com Staff. "Amelia Earhart." History.com. 2009. Accessed December 13, 2017. <http://www.history.com/topics/amelia-earhart.>
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Lartey, Jamiles. "Newly discovered photo reignites Amelia Earhart conspiracy theory." The Guardian. July 05, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2017.
<https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/05/amelia-earhart-disappearance-photo-marshall-islands-japan>
Levenson, Eric. "All the theories of Amelia Earharts mystery disappearance." CNN. July 06, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2017.
<http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/06/us/amelia-earhart-mystery-theories/index.html>
Levith, Will. "New Theory on Amelia Earhart's Disappearance Claims She Died a Castaway." RealClearLife. July 05, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2017. <http://www.realclearlife.com/cars/new-theory-amelia-earharts-disappearance-dying-island-castaway/.>
Lorenzi, Rossella. "Earhart's Anti-Freckle Cream Jar Possibly Found." Seeker. November 27, 2012. Accessed December 13, 2017.
<https://www.seeker.com/earharts-anti-freckle-cream-jar-possibly-found-1766064996.html>
Massey, Craig Biography of Amelia Earhart. Accessed December 13, 2017. <http://www.ameliaearhartmuseum.org/AmeliaEarhart/AEBiography.htm.>
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Ryall, Julian. "US researchers claim metal fragments prove Amelia Earhart crashed on Marshall Islands." The Telegraph. June 26, 2015. Accessed December 13, 2017. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/11702432/US-researchers-claim-metal-fragments-prove-Amelia-Earhart-crashed-on-Marshall-Islands.html.>
"Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart's Disappearance." National Geographic. July 11, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2017.
<https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/amelia-earhart-disappearance-theories-spd/>

Westcott, Ben. "Amelia Earhart mystery: Photo appears taken 2 years before pilot vanished." CNN. July 13, 2017. Accessed December 13, 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/12/asia/amelia-earhart-photo-japan/index.html.>

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