Buzz
Over eight decades have passed since the renowned aviation trailblazer Amelia Earhart and her navigator Frederick 'Fred' Noonan vanished during their flight across the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. Earhart had already achieved global fame as the first woman to complete a solo transatlantic flight, and her next ambitious goal was to circumnavigate the globe. Many were confident that the 'Queen of the Air' would triumph once again.
However, tragedy struck over the Pacific Ocean when Earhart, Noonan, and their aircraft mysteriously disappeared. Despite extensive search efforts, no trace was found, and on January 5, 1939, Earhart was officially declared deceased in absentia. What truly happened to Amelia Earhart? The following theories aim to unravel this enduring enigma.
10. She Crashed Near Buka Island
In 2011, residents of Papua New Guinea reported discovering remnants of Earhart's aircraft on a reef near Buka Island, Bougainville. Papua New Guinea was the final destination Earhart and Noonan visited before their disappearance. A team was formed to investigate the wreckage, which was located by divers. One diver even claimed to have found two skulls in the cockpit, believed to belong to the missing aviators.
The Post Courier, a local newspaper in Papua New Guinea, stated, 'The crash site aligns directly with Earhart’s flight trajectory from Lae, passing north of Buka Island and heading northeast toward Howland.' The report emphasized 'strong evidence' suggesting this was the missing aircraft. However, doubters remained unconvinced. Ric Gillespie, executive director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, argued that the wreckage location didn’t align with Earhart’s final radio transmissions, which placed her approximately 320 kilometers (200 miles) from Howland Island.
9. She Was Stranded as a Castaway on Nikumaroro Island
A 2018 study published in Forensic Anthropology claimed that bones found on Nikumaroro Island in the Western Pacific belonged to Amelia Earhart, suggesting she crashed there and lived as a castaway before her death. The study asserted a 99% match between the bones and the famed aviator, who was known to have flown near the island during her final flight. The remains were discovered in 1940 by a team exploring the island for potential settlement. Alongside the bones, they found a bottle of Benedictine, an herbal liqueur Earhart was known to carry. Unfortunately, the bones were later lost, preventing further analysis. Researchers instead compared historical records of the remains to photographs of Earhart, concluding, 'This analysis strongly supports the claim that the Nikumaroro bones are Amelia Earhart’s. Until definitive evidence proves otherwise, the most plausible explanation is that they are hers.'
The remains were found in 1940 by a group exploring Nikumaroro Island for potential habitation. Alongside the bones, they discovered a bottle of Benedictine—a herbal liqueur Earhart was known to carry. Sadly, the bones were misplaced over time, making further examination impossible. Researchers relied on historical records and photographs of Earhart to draw their conclusions, stating, 'This analysis strongly supports the conclusion that the Nikumaroro bones belonged to Amelia Earhart. Until definitive evidence is presented to the contrary, the most convincing argument is that they are hers.'
8. She Was Captured and Held Hostage by the Japanese
One of the most widely discussed conspiracy theories about Earhart's disappearance suggests she was taken captive by the Japanese and held as a prisoner. Tensions between the US and Japan had been strained since Japan's invasion of China in 1931. However, this theory was debunked when the Japanese Embassy in Washington contacted the State Department during the search for Earhart, offering assistance.
Greg Bradsher, a senior archivist at the National Archives, noted that Earhart's disappearance prompted an unusual collaboration between the US and Japan. The Japanese government opened previously restricted areas, such as the Japanese Mandate Islands, to aid the search. This cooperation was short-lived, as Japan launched a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. The attack resulted in over 2,300 American deaths and more than 1,100 injuries. The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan.
7. She Was a Spy
Was Amelia Earhart secretly working as a spy for the US government? In his book Lost Star: The Search for Amelia Earhart, Randall Brink argues that she was. Brink asserts that Earhart was tasked with photographing Japanese military installations and that her plane was outfitted with covert surveillance equipment. Unlike the hostage theory, Brink believes Earhart was shot down by the Japanese after entering restricted airspace.
Brink's evidence for these claims included an interview with a technician who stated, 'I remember being instructed to cut two 16-to-18-inch holes for cameras, which were to be installed in the lower rear fuselage bay and operated electronically.' Brink also mentioned possessing documents, acquired through the Freedom of Information Act, that confirmed Earhart's final flight was outfitted with state-of-the-art military navigation technology of the era.
6. She Survived and Resided on the Marshall Islands
A 1930s photograph discovered in the US National Archives has been cited as evidence that Amelia Earhart was alive on the then-Japanese-controlled Marshall Islands. The black-and-white image, allegedly taken by a US spy in Jaluit Atoll, is thought to depict Earhart with her back to the camera, Fred Noonan, and their aircraft in the background. The History Channel unveiled the photo in 2017, reigniting the conspiracy theory 80 years after her disappearance.
Ric Gillespie, author of Finding Amelia, disputes this theory. He remarked, 'This photo has convinced many, but I’m skeptical. Look closely—it’s undated. If it’s from July 1, 1937, it can’t be Earhart, as she hadn’t taken off yet. If it’s from 1935 or 1938, it also can’t be her. The photo must have been taken within a very specific timeframe—just days after her disappearance.' Despite Gillespie's doubts, many online theorists consider the image compelling evidence that she did not perish in a crash.
5. She Was Imprisoned and Executed in Saipan
William Sablan, whose uncle worked at a Saipan prison in 1937, has a theory about Amelia Earhart's fate. He claims that both Earhart and Noonan were detained at the prison before being executed. Sablan shared that he once dreamed of becoming a pilot, and when he mentioned this to his uncle, he was told about two Americans who crashed near Saipan and were held captive for a few days.
Sablan stated, 'They were both killed in Saipan and buried there. After the war ended, their remains were dug up by an American military unit and sent back to the United States. Where those bodies are now is a mystery for someone else to solve.' A similar theory emerged in 1960 when a CBS reporter claimed that locals on the Marshall Islands confirmed the deaths of two 'spies' just before the start of World War II.
4. She Became a Housewife in New Jersey
The 1970s book Amelia Earhart Lives by Joe Klass proposed that Earhart was rescued from the Japanese by the US military and assumed a new identity as a New Jersey housewife named 'Irene Bolam.' The book presented evidence, such as the striking resemblance between Earhart and Bolam and the fact that both were trained pilots, to support this claim.
This theory did not sit well with Bolam, who denied being a pilot and filed lawsuits against Klass and the publisher, McGraw-Hill. The settlement amount remained undisclosed, as the case was likely resolved out of court. The publisher withdrew the book from circulation, and the theory was dismissed as mere speculation, illustrating how far some will go to believe extraordinary claims.
3. She Survived and Assumed a New Identity for National Security Purposes
For those who prefer a happier conclusion, there’s a widely circulated theory that Earhart survived her journey and returned home discreetly. The 1943 film Flight for Freedom, featuring Rosalind Russell as a pilot inspired by Earhart, fueled rumors that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had recruited Earhart as a spy.
Earhart’s final flight over the Pacific Ocean garnered global attention, making the idea of her being a spy seem unlikely due to the intense publicity. As a world-renowned aviator, even with a new identity, it would have been nearly impossible for her to vanish entirely from the public eye.
Approximately $4 million was allocated to the rescue mission to locate Earhart and Noonan, but the efforts proved futile. Their disappearance remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in aviation history.
2. She Was Abducted by Aliens
The theory that Earhart was taken by aliens isn’t far-fetched in the realm of conspiracy theories, as similar claims have surrounded aircraft disappearances for years. This idea was even explored in an episode of the sci-fi series Star Trek: Voyager, where Earhart was depicted as being abducted and placed in a 'cryostasis chamber' on an alien planet.
Alien abduction theories often arise in cases where no wreckage or remains are found, as if the missing individuals simply vanished into thin air. The 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which vanished over the Indian Ocean, similarly sparked speculation among conspiracy theorists.
In modern times, aircraft disappearances are exceedingly rare, thanks to the 'Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast' system, which continuously transmits an airplane's location to air traffic controllers and nearby planes. Earhart's flight across the Pacific occurred just 34 years after the dawn of aviation, making it more plausible that she fell victim to the limitations of the technology available at the time.
1. She Was a 'Tokyo Rose'
The term 'Tokyo Rose' was used to describe female broadcasters who delivered Japanese propaganda in English during World War II. Allied troops in the South Pacific coined the name, and several women operated under various aliases, aiming to demoralize Allied forces by reporting on their military defeats. After the war, rumors surfaced suggesting that Earhart had been one of these broadcasters.
This theory was challenged by George Putnam, an American publisher, author, and explorer who was married to Earhart from 1931 until her disappearance. He spent hours listening to propaganda broadcasts but never identified his wife's voice among them. After Earhart vanished, Putnam authored three books celebrating her passion for aviation.
