What
really happened to Amelia Earhart? Amelia was the first women American Aviator,
and she held a strong passion for flying. She was lost at sea in the Pacific
Ocean when she was on flight to circle the globe. It was of July 1937 when she
was pronounced missing and it still remains a mystery to this day. There are
many theories on the real reason behind her disappearance and many questions
left behind. Some theories include:
1.
Amelia and her flight partner landed on an
island and survived a while as castaways.
2.
The flight partners were captured and
killed by the Japanese.
3.
The plane was crashed and it eventually
sank deep into the Pacific Ocean where it could no longer be located (Top 3 Theories
for Amelia Earhart’s disappearance).
After all, the most evident reasoning behind her death
is that her plane was crashed and sank into the Pacific Ocean. In the future
content, we will be discussing the three most assumed theories and they will be
analyzed thoroughly.
Amelia’s
biggest trait was how confident she was in everything she did. Her direct words
were “Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done”
(“Quotes by Amelia Earhart”). Amelia is
shown as a character that strives off of challenges in life, and she does not
let anything slow her down. If she placed her mind to a task, nothing was going
to stop her from accomplishing that task. Her confidence was the prime resource
for her disappearance because she had so much assurance that it would go well.
Along with being confident, Amelia was also a very
ambitious person. Any task that was set before her provided her with so much
determination to succeed within the task. In an article concerning Amelia’s
life, it is said that:
Some
speculated that the decision was partly based on her resemblance to Charles Lindbergh, who had become the first man to fly nonstop
solo across the Atlantic the previous year. On June 17, 1928, Earhart departed
Trepassey, Newfoundland, Canada, as a passenger
aboard a seaplane piloted by Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon. (“Amelia
Earhart American Aviator”)
She felt the confidence
within herself to be able to get this done. Her taking the flight showed her
motivation and drive that accomplished this, and nothing was going to stop her
from taking on the task.
Determination
is another trait that directly related to Amelia’s life style and morals.
Amelia strongly believed in women’s rights, and she was determined in every way
to express her beliefs. She felt as if all women should be able to accomplish
anything that a male could accomplish. Amelia once said “Women must try to do
things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge
to others” (“Quotes by Amelia Earhart”). She strongly had confidence that women
can do as much as they set their minds to and she was determined to prove this
to our society. A lot of what she accomplished in her aviation career were
tasks that men had previously accomplished. She had a very tomboyish type and
she was a very tough female. She was a strong believer of feminine rights and
this aspect of Amelia gave her the power to accomplish anything that she set
her mine to even if it was something unaverage for a woman to do.
Amelia
was also very compassionate for her priorities in life. She loved being an
aviator, and she was always ready to take on a new flight. An article about her
career said:
After the war, Earhart
entered the premed program at Columbia University in New York City but left in 1920 after
her parents insisted that she live with them in California. There she went on
her first airplane ride in 1920, an
experience that prompted her to take flying lessons. In 1921 she bought her
first plane, a Kinner Airster, and two years later she earned her pilot’s
license (“Amelia Earhart American Aviator”).
Her drive to accomplish
what was needed to become an aviator represents the burning compassion she held
for her newly developed hobby. She never let anything stop her from doing what
she loved and that shows compassion within itself. The love she had for flying
ironically led to her disappearance that is still left as a mystery.
Although
her passion did not end her in a good place, she was very talented at what she
did. She completed tasks that were not always the easiest and sometimes tasks
that were never completed before her. These included being the first women to
fly across the Atlantic nonstop, setting the women’s speed record for a 3k
course, being the first women to fly solo from coast to coast, along with many
more accomplishments (“Amelia Earhart Achievements”). Her talent was like no
other and she was always prepared to show off her talent with more accomplishments.
Her Mysterious disappearance was another goal of her great talent that she was
headed towards until that flight did not go as planned.
Skills are a primary component of anything that an
individual wishes to accomplish. The skills Earhart mastered throughout the
years was one of the primary reasons she was successful. According to the
article, “Amelia Earhart American Aviator”, “Her flight in her Lockheed Vega
from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was completed in a record
time of 14 hours 56 minutes despite a number of problems. She notably
experienced mechanical difficulties and inclement weather”, but those
distractions did not get in the way of her success. It is vividly shown that
she had quite the skill through all of her accomplishments. Her skills gave her
the knowledge to accomplish any task even with distractions along the flight.
Amelia’s
disappearance left people with many questions and led to an uproar of conspiracy
theories supporting the reasoning behind her death. Three of the most popular
theories included Amelia and her flight partner landing on an island and
surviving as castaways, the flight partners being captured by the Japanese, and
the plane running out of fuel and crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
The
first theory discussed is the belief that Amelia and her flight partner landed
on a different island and survived for a while as castaways. According to
Elizabeth Hanes, “Earhart missed her intended Pacific Ocean refueling site,
Howland Island, but spotted Gardner Island (now called Nikumaroro), an
uninhabited coral atoll nearby” (“Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart
Disappearance”). This theory is in belief that Amelia and her flight partner
successfully made a landing on the wrong island and eventually died because
they were never found and rescued (1). This theory is thought to be true
because there were remnants found on the island that could have potentially
belonged to Amelia (1). Some may argue that this theory is not valid because
with the last documented location, it should have been possible to track Amelia
and her plane.
The second
conspiracy theory claims that the flight partners were captured by the
Japanese. It is explained in an article that Amelia and her flight partner were “unable—or perhaps
not intending—to find Howland, headed north to the Japanese-controlled Marshall Islands (map), where they
were taken hostage by the Japanese, possibly as U.S. spies” (“Top 3 Theories of
Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance”). A recently discovered picture shows a woman
that looked very similar to Earhart sitting on a pier of one of the Marshall
Islands. The Japanese saw Noonan and Earhart as spies so they held them captive
until they faced death. Some may argue against this theory because they believe
it is a false assumption that it is Amelia. It is very possible that the image is
just of a woman with a similar build as Amelia (“Amelia Earhart: Does photo
show she died a Japanese prisoner?”).
Lastly, the most
evident and realistic theory to be discussed will be about the plane running
out of fuel and crashing into the ocean leading to her disappearance. The
theory behind this is simply all from misunderstanding. It was said in the
article, “Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart
Disappearance,” that “Noonan got
slightly off course in route to a refueling stop at Howland Island in the
Pacific Ocean” (1). This caused them to run out of fuel midflight
and crash into the ocean. They were in contact with local coast guards to
notify them that they could not locate the correct landing spot to refuel,
which shows that it is very possible that they ran out of fuel. Although some
may argue that remains should have been recoverable if they crashed into the
ocean.
After conducting
research among all of the theories, the most logical reasoning behind her
disappearance is the plane running out of fuel and plummeting into the Pacific
Ocean. From the survey conducted over the possible theories, a little over 52%
of the public agreed with the plane running out of fuel. On the other hand, the
lesser majority of 32% think she survived as a castaway, and the remaining 16%
think Amelia was captured by the Japanese.
Amelia’s
disappearance still does not hold a definite reasoning to this day. After
examining the remaining clues from Amelia’s disappearance, theories concerning
her death asked:
1.
Did Amelia and her flight partner land on
an island and survived a while as castaways?
2.
Did the flight partners get captured and
killed by the Japanese?
3.
Did the plane run out of fuel to crash and
sink into the Pacific Ocean where it could no longer be located (Top 3 Theories
for Amelia Earhart’s disappearance)?
After all, the most evident reasoning behind her death
is that her plane crashed and sank into the Pacific Ocean. Evidence in support
of the plane running out of fuel is seen as the most logical and supportive.
Even though her disappearance is still a mystery, she is still viewed as an
inspirational icon to many.
Works Cited
“Achievements - The Official Licensing Website
of Amelia Earhart.” Amelia Earhart, www.ameliaearhart.com/achievements/.
“Amelia Earhart: Does Photo Show She Died a
Japanese Prisoner?” BBC News, BBC, 6 July 2017,
www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40515754.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopedia.
“Amelia Earhart.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica,
Inc., 20 July 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Amelia-Earhart.
“Quotes - The Official Licensing Website of
Amelia Earhart.” Amelia Earhart, www.ameliaearhart.com/quotes/.
Ryerson,
Lia. “5 Of the Wildest Conspiracy Theories behind Amelia Earhart's
Disappearance.” INSIDER, INSIDER, 9 May 2018,
www.thisisinsider.com/amelia-earhart-conspiracy-theories-2018-5#3-she-was-captured-and-taken-prisoner-by-the-japanese-3.
“Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart
Disappearance.” History.com, A&E Television
Networks,www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-amelia-9-tantalizing-theories-about-the-earhart-disappearance.
“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/?user.testname=none.
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