Whatever Happened to Ameila Earhart?

[Karmi-Sempai]

Did I spell that right?

Anyway, I just watched History's Secrets and found a couple of conspiracy theories. One says she was stranded on an island. Another says she was a spy for President Roosevelt and got caught by the Japanese. Another says she's actually a woman who lives in New Jersey and that she returned after going to Japan. What do you guys think? I think the second one is very plausible.

[Lord Lucan]

I've seen that documentary too. They mase the island scenario seem plausible, however, my suspicions are that she simply veered off course, ran out of fuel and ditched in the sea.

[Mike Covell]

I have a few unsolved mysteries books, and conspiracy books which more or less argue the aforementioned points. All of which sound suprisingly plausible.
I fear however that there is probably a mundane explaination for her vanishing.

This is one for Adam and Jamie at Mythbusters!!

[Celesta]

Hi Karmi,

It's nice to meet you. I saw a recent program than calculates where Amelia may have crashed, but I can't remember the name of the program! The researchers estimated that she crashed about 50 miles off the coast of Howland Island. This is one of those mysteries everyone loves! I hope they will locate her.

Best Wishes,

Celesta

[Mayerling]

That biography of Earhart seems to agree with the view that the Vega ran out of fuel, and Amelia and Fred Noonan had to ditch into the Pacific and drowned. It's too bad. She was a remarkable lady and an earlier feminist.
As for her connection to the White House, she was a frequent guest there - but she was far closer to Eleanor than to Franklin Roosevelt.

Jeff

[Suzi]

Hi all-
I've always been fascinated by Amelia Check out http://www.ameliaearhart.com/






Great lady!..Sadly as we're all a tad conspiritorial at the end of the day...........I think that she and Fred dumped in the sea....it seems to be the most logical possibility.....sadly!

Suz x

[Mike Covell]

I think that she and Fred dumped in the sea....
Suz x

We've all done it at some point Suzi......haven't we??

[evabaruk]

Well I have to agree and say it seems more likely that Earhart and Noonan crashed into the sea, but I would rather they made it to the Phoenix Islands. As I recall TIGHAR conducted an expedition last year to Nikumaroro, although I don't know the extent of recovered artefacts. I guess the forensic anthropologist in me would like to see the measurements of the skeleton recovered there in the '40's, but sadly it is gone for good.

[Mayerling]

Isn't it curious about the historical prestige (if you will) connected to Earhart,
that her doom with Noonan remains a matter of discussion after seventy years, but the fate of others of equal importance is less than known. Amy Johnson's fate in that Thames Estuary in 1941 has a lot still unexplained about it. And Kingsford-Smith, the fellow who co-founded Quantas, disappeared on a long distance flight. So did the Polar Explorer Roald Amundsen (in an attempt to rescue Umberto Nobile at the North Pole, after he and his surviving men survived the partial crash of the dirigible ITALIA - and the rest of the crew disappeared with the damaged ITALIA!). Earhart leads the pack regarding continued interest in her fate.

Jeff

[Celesta]

Hi Gang,

Jeff, Isn't interesting that some people catch our attention and others live mostly on the pages of history books, monographs, and the like? You're better equipped to explain this phenomenon. It's partly the press coverage or lack of and sociological reasons? Or just plain serendipity?

Eva--I heard about the skeleton. What happened to it? Is this the island where the native woman saw two Europeans executed? I'll have to look this new study up.

Suzi--This looks like a nice link. Going to go get into. Thanks.

[Mayerling]

Hi Celeste,

I think in Earhart's case it was her outspokeness regarding women being able to compete with men, and how flying was a great equalizer. That feminist edge gave her extra interest with her own generations, and the mystery of her disappearance (tied into whether she was spying for the U.S. against Japan) clinched it.

But the other names I listed were as deserving of remembrance as Earhart was. By just mentioning them I did a little bit to remind people they existed at one time...and accomplished great things.

Jeff

[Karmi-Sempai]

I have a few unsolved mysteries books, and conspiracy books which more or less argue the aforementioned points. All of which sound suprisingly plausible.
I fear however that there is probably a mundane explaination for her vanishing.

This is one for Adam and Jamie at Mythbusters!!

I enjoy Mythbusters, too. But yes, you're very right there. It may be just people trying to make an extraordinary story.

Earhart has gotten tried of media publicity and she says, "Catch me if you can!" Well, we've been looking for her ever since! XD

[Mayerling]

The Around the World Flight that will never end

Hi all,

I finally finished the biography of Earhart that I began last year (I kept putting it down when other matters occupied my attention). Again, the title is AMELIA: A LIFE OF THE AVIATION LEGEND by Donald M. Goldstein and Katherind V. Dillon (Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, 1997). It was an interesting book, and it certainly tackled the intriguing open ended question that will forever bother us all: what happened to Amelia and Fred on July 2, 1937.

They go over and dismiss all the main theories, about secret missions (one even suggests Earhart was spying for Japan, not the U.S.), and even the idea that Amelia and Fred got back secretly to the U.S. and lived into old age under fake names and identities (Amelia in New Jersey). More than likely they both died on July 2, 1937 when their plane crashed (out of gasoline) into the Pacific within 100 miles of Howland Island. The authors point out that Amelia made a critical error regarding proper radio transmission gear (she threw it off the plane to lighten the plane's weight for stretching the gasoline supply's effectiveness). But there were serious blunders between her and the radio tracking from the Itasca, Lae, Howland Island, and even Honolulu. Coast guard and navy tracking and wireless connections were a confused mess. One ends up thinking that Earhart and Noonan were lucky they got two thirds of the way around the world before the fatal crash.

It was a really dreadful end for them. But probably better than in the hands of the Japanese Kampetai on spy charges.

Best wishes,

Jeff

[HollyDolly]

What ever happend to Ameila Earhart?

I had heard about the possibility she was spying on the Japanese for the US before,but don't know how true it may or maynot be.I've near heard of Amy Johnson,Mayerling,who was she?

[Bob Hinton]

Mythbusters

This is one for Adam and Jamie at Mythbusters!!

Did anyone else see the episode of CSI where Adam and Jamie were studying an experiment carried out by one of the CSI's with clipboards at the ready? They both gave a thumbs up after the explosion. I thought I was dreaming until I rewound the tape and watched it again.