Amelia Earhart's 1937 Disappearance: Theories and Evidence
On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart, renowned as the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic, disappeared while trying to fly around the world. Earhart, born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas, discovered her love for flying after her inaugural flight in December 1920. In 1922, she achieved a women's altitude record and, in 1928, became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger. She accomplished a solo transatlantic journey in 1932. On June 1, 1937, she took off from Miami with navigator Fred Noonan in a Lockheed Electra but lost contact en route to Howland Island. Despite extensive searches, no evidence was found, and they were declared legally dead on January 5, 1939. Earhart is celebrated as a symbol of bravery and women's rights.
Key facts
- Amelia Earhart disappeared on July 2, 1937, during a round-the-world flight.
- She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (1932).
- She set the women's altitude record of 14,000 feet in 1922.
- Her navigator was Fred Noonan.
- The US Coast Guard cutter Itasca lost contact with her.
- The official US government theory is the Ocean Crash Theory.
- TIGHAR supports the Nikumaroro Castaway Theory.
- She was declared legally dead on January 5, 1939.
Entities
Artists
- Amelia Earhart
- Fred Noonan
- Neta Snook
- George Putnam
- Amy Phipps Guest
- Wilmer Stultz
- Louis Gordon
- Charles Lindbergh
- Frank Hawks
- Carl Allen
Institutions
- Red Cross
- Columbia University
- Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
- US Coast Guard
- The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR)
- National Air and Space Museum
- Smithsonian Institution
- Purdue University
- Library of Congress
- Herald Tribune
- Erie Daily Times
- LIFE Magazine
Locations
- Atchison, Kansas
- Chicago, Illinois
- Toronto, Canada
- California
- Long Beach, California
- Daugherty Field
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland
- Burry Point, Wales
- United Kingdom
- Hawaii
- Miami, Florida
- South America
- Africa
- India
- Southeast Asia
- Australia
- Lae, New Guinea
- Pacific Ocean
- Howland Island
- Baker Islands
- Nikumaroro Island
- Nukumanu Islands
- Los Angeles, California
- United States