Amelia Earhart - theories on what happened

Amelia Earhart, known for disappearing without at a trace, was a wonderful woman, but what happened to her? Time to dive into all the theories on her disappearance.

Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan

Amelia Earhart has done many, many great things in her lifetime. She supported equal rights, earned the US Distinguished Flying Cross for solo flight across the Atlantic, and wrote best sellers on her flying. She was a significant figure in women's history and will continue to be so.

Her Disappearance

In 1937 Earhart and Fred Noonan were flying around the world. They were going to land at Howland Island, an uninhabited island. They never arrived. There are theories that suggest they had to emergency land on what is now Gardner Island, and died there. 

What supports this is the human remains found on Gardner Island. These were found beside a campfire, a woman's shoe, and a navigational device. There have been studies done on her measurements and height to support that it could be Earhart, with the fact that the navigational sextant would have matched her backup navigational device. 

Taken By the Enemy

Les Kinney/ US National Archives

There is also another theory, that she was killed by the Japanese. This is based on the photograph showing the Japanese towing a damaged plane, with a woman resembling Earhart on the dock. There is a whole documentary on this theory, and it actually makes sense. It would suggest she died a prisoner of the Japanese. The picture above is the infamous photograph that is referenced. Locals in the documentary reference a kind woman and man killed by the Japanese, and the woman looked like Amelia Earhart. They were allegedly shot and buried. This was gathered from the island locals on the prison camp island that they were allegedly sent to.

This is a theory that is debated highly, because if the photograph is from before 1937 she is not even on the ocean, and the Japanese are not in sight. In other points, you find she and Fred have new clothes. The Japanese are unlikely to be that kind. 

Is Any Of This True?

There are no records to prove the Japanese prison camp story true, and the first is also mostly circumstantial, so we don't know that these are false or true. There were records lost during the war, and with that fact under our belts, it is entirely possible she was a prisoner of war. It is also equally possible she had to emergency land and the pair died marooned on an island. The evidence is a little thin on both sides, but I'll let you be the judge. 

sources:
https://www.ameliaearhart.com/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40515754

Pictures:
The Guardian
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