In 1937, Amelia Earhart vanished, while in an attempt to fly around the
world, her nor her plane was ever found (Hanes). She was not just any aviator;
she was an inspirational figure to many women at the time. She was the first
women to fly cross the Atlantic Ocean alone; this happening left people
shocked. After 70 years the mystery, still remains of what realy happened on in
July of 1937 (1). There are a couple conspiracy theories that today make us
wonder what the truth really is (1):
1.
Earhart ran out of fuel, crashed
and perished in the Pacific Ocean (1).
2.
Earhart landed safely on Gardner Island (Nikumaroro) but died before she
could be rescued.
3.
Thought to be a U.S spy, Earhart was captured by the Japanese, possibly
executed, became a “Tokyo Rose”
Now,
let’s examine these theories on the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, by
continuing to ask questions of: did she crash on an island? Was she a spy? Or,
was she captured by the Japanese (1)? But the most plausible solution being
that the plane just ran out of fuel causing her to crash in the Pacific Ocean.
Who was Amelia Earhart? Amelia Mary Earhart was different, inspirational
and determined (BookRags). She was born on July 24, 1897, in a small Kentucky
town called Atchison (Amelia Earhart Biography). She was the oldest daughter of
Edwin and Amy Otis Earhart (1). From a Prussian and English background, she
stood at 5’8 and around 120 pound, with blond hair and grey eyes (Gillespie).
She had a lanky build and proportionate feature (1). At a very young age, she
was already different than the social standards for girls of that time
(Biography of Amelia Earhart ).
Amelia was always looking for adventure; somewhat of a tomboy you could
say (Biography of Amelia Earhart). She began to question and notice how boys
were under fewer constraints than girls (1). Liking all types of sports, she
wanted to push the limit and try the sports that were only intended for boys
(1). She was always intrigued by women in predominantly male-oriented fields,
such as film direction and production, law, advertising, management, and
mechanical engineering (The Official Website of Amelia Earhart). Little did she
know, that by her being so interested in being different she would soon become
a major influence to women of her time and still to this day.
Amelia had a strong desire to be an aviator, in 1920, she saw her first
air show and took her first plane ride (Biography of Amelia Earhart). The
moment the plane left the ground she knew she had to fly (1). Soon, she would
realize that her life was about to change (1). Within two short years after
catching the itch to fly, she received her license and bought her first plane
(1). While loving what she did, she competed in flying derbies. While competing
in these competitions, she gained her nickname; Power Puff Derby (1). One day
in April, 1928, she received a phone call from a man asking, “How would you
like to the first woman to fly the Atlantic?” (1) Of course, with her being the
first woman to do so many people questioned whether or not she would have a
successful, safe flight (Ameliaearhart). Unknowingly, this flight would lead to
defining her as a woman breaking gender barriers in history.
Amelia continued to be a female trend setter in the air and the ground.
During the years of 1929-1935, Amelia had many accomplishments. Not only did
she set many flight records, but she was a founder of the first organization
for woman aviators which was called The-Ninety-Nines, Inc. in 1929 (American
Experience: TV’s Most-watched History Series 1).
Through this organization, she promoted the growth of American commercial
airlines (1). Also, she wrote books in her spare time (1). It was during this
time that she met George Putnam (1). She would soon enter into a “partnership”
marriage with “dual control”. After seeing her parent’s marriage fail, she was
wary about marrying him (1).
Amelia was determined to fly around the world; it was in 1936 that she
started to circumnavigate the globe for her attempt to fly around the world (American
Experience: TV’s Most-watched History Series 1).
With her husband by her side, they raised money and consulted with advisers,
mechanics and navigators (1). Preparation for this amazing feat took about a
year of hard planning, before it was time to put the plan in to action. After
one attempt was a fail; she did not give up. On June 1, 1937, she departed for
her second attempt (1). Amelia and her
navigator Fred Noonan set flight from Miami, Florida with a plan of traveling
from west to east (1). With not much luck, things took a turn for the worst.
All communication was lost and the two lost their way. After a couple year of
so called “searching for the plane” Amelia was legally declared dead (1).
Amelia continues to be an inspiration to women still to this day. She
was different in a time when being different was highly looked down upon.
Earhart was determined to break gender stereotypes of her time and set new
trends. She remains a major influence to women, who are determined to
accomplish great things.
The mysterious disappearance of Amelia Earhart’s attempt to fly around
the world sparked many conspiracy theories.
Along with many other theories there are three conspiracy theories that
stand out.
The first conspiracy story points to Amelia Earhart and her navigator,
Fred Noonan lost control due to running out of fuel and plummeted to the water.
The plane is thought to have sunk to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean (SFGate).
The second conspiracy suggests that Amelia spent her last days as a
castaway on Gardner Island (SFGate).
This was an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean (1). Prior to the
crash landing, they were planning to refuel at Howland Island, things took a
turn for the worst and strong winds caused them to fly off course (1). Even
though the plane was unable to be flown due to damage from the crash, the radio
still worked (1). Gillespie, from The International Group of Historic Aircraft
Recovery (TIGHAR) said he thinks that the flight was “rough but survivable”.
From these distressed radio calls he could tell that Amelia had minor injuries,
and Fred’s injuries were describe as being worse (1). Gillespie and other radio
operators who heard their cry for help said, “She’s out there calling for
help”, there was no doubt in their minds that the voice they were hearing was
Amelia Earhart (1). TIGHAR claims that the plane was eventually washed into the
ocean, and whatever remains are hidden in the depths (1).
The third
conspiracy theory version revolves around the Japanese. During the war in 1942,
her flight path took her right over enemy territory. So, the U.S government
used her like a Trojan Horse to spy on the Japanese (Heller). The Japanese
assumed that she was a spy and shot her plane down. Although she survived the
crash, she was captured (1). While they thought of her as a spy they treated her
accordingly (1). There is argument about
what actually happened while in the hands of the Japanese. She was either
beheaded in the Garapan Prison, or died in jail from dysentery (1). There is some evidence that while being
captured she became a “Tokyo Rose” (1).
Rumors spread that she was being forced to read propaganda to tease,
disturb, and confuse American soldiers (1).
In seventy plus years why does this mysterious disappearance remain
unknown? After the all the research the first conspiracy theory which seemed to
be that most plausible at the beginning, does not now. She could not have
plummeted in to the ocean due to fuel loss. Once she crashed she was still able
to use her radio (SFGate). This leads to the other two theories to be more reasonable.
Yes, she did crash onto land and survive, but was it due to fuel loss and
becoming a castaway on Gardner Island or being shot down by the Japanese. The
theory of her becoming a castaway does not seem to be the best fit either. If
Earhart and Noonan were to have crashed, there would have been more evidence of
them being there on the island when the search party went out. So, since these
first two theories do not seem to add up, the last theory seems to be the most
plausible. If the Japanese were to have shot her plane down, that would explain
why no one could ever find the missing plane. She was an American so being used
as a “Tokyo Rose” makes since she spoke perfect English. Unfortunately, with
this theory being considered to be true, she would have been treated awful
since they thought of her as a spy, and most likely died in jail (Heller).
In July, 1937, Amelia Earhart tempted to
fly around the world, but vanished over the Pacific Ocean (Hanes). The
disappearance developed into three conspiracy theories:
1.
Earhart ran out of fuel, crashed and perished in the Pacific Ocean (1).
2.
Earhart landed safely on Gardner Island (Nikumaroro) but died before she
could be rescued (1).
3. Thought to be a U.S spy, Earhart
was captured by the Japanese, possibly executed, became a “Tokyo Rose” (1).
At
the beginning, first theory seemed to be the most realistic. But, after doing
research, the third theory seems to be the most reasonable. The mystery of
Amelia Earhart still remains unsolved. We can only hope that one day, the
mysterious disappearance of one of the most influential woman will be solved.
Work Cited
"Amelia
Earhart." Challenges in Life -. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
"Ameliaearhart." Ameliaearhart.
N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
"American
Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d.
Web. 25 Oct. 2016.
"Biography of
Amelia Earhart." Biography of Amelia Earhart. N.p., n.d. Web.
25 Oct. 2016.
The Official Website of
Amelia Earhart. N.p., n.d. Web. 25
Oct. 2016.
Gillespie, Richard E.
"Earhart Biography." Earhart Biography. N.p., n.d. Web.
25 Oct. 2016.
"Amelia Earhart
Biography." - Life, Childhood, Parents, Story, School, Mother,
Young, Book, Information, Born, College, Husband. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct.
2016.
"Amelia Earhart
Didn't Die in a Plane Crash, Investigators Say. This Is Their Theory."SFGate.
N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Heller, Jake. The
Daily Beast. Newsweek/Daily Beast, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
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