Theories on the Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

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Introduction
Throughout the 1920s and 30s, although forming a thirteenth of all aviators, many women played a significant role in flying. (Corn, p 72) Amelia Earhart was one of these women. She was a pioneer in women’s aviation. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic alongside pilot Wilmer "Bill" Stultz and co-pilot/mechanic Louis E. "Slim" Gordon. Four years later, she became the first woman to fly solo across the same ocean, replicating the record setting flight of Charles Lindbergh. During her life she set many women’s records: altitude records, solo American coast to coast flight records, and speed records. (Amelia Earhart, Achievements) She also came in at fifth place in the Bendix Trophy air race in 1936, of which women won three of the five top spots. (Corn, p 556)
In 1937, nearing her 40th birthday, Earhart was ready for her next challenge: being the first woman to fly around the world. Before departing she had said "I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system, and I hope this trip is it." She was joined by navigator Fred Noonan on the 29,000 mile journey. They started their journey off in Miami on June 1st. On June 29th, they landed in in New Guinea with 7,000 miles of their journey remaining. Inaccurate maps seemed to be making the navigation challenging for Noonan, and Howland Island was going to be the trickiest. All unessential items were removed from the plane, making space for extra fuel, which added approximately 274 extra miles. During the flight many radio messages were sent, some talking of a storm and some saying she was close to the island; however, these messages were faint or interrupted by static. ( Lauber, p 85-87) The United States immediately l...

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- Lauber, Patricia. Lost Star. New York: Scholastic, 1988. p.85-87
- Long, Elgen M. and Long, Marie K. Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved. New York: Simon & Schuster, 13 October 2009. p.17
- Nuwer, Rachel. “Will we ever… discover what happened to Amelia Earhart?” BBC Future. 28 June 2013. 7 May 2014.

- Sample, Ian. “Pacific sonar 'streak' may be wreck of Amelia Earhart's plane.” The Guardian. 31 May 2013. 7 May 2014.

- Szalay, Jessie. “Amelia Earhart: Biography & Facts About Disappearance.” Live Science. 6 May 2013. 7 May 2014.
- “What Happened to Amelia Earhart?” History. 2010. 7 May 2014.

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