{"id":23627,"date":"2017-07-07T11:44:46","date_gmt":"2017-07-07T15:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.genealogybank.com\/?p=23627"},"modified":"2022-05-16T10:29:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T14:29:06","slug":"gone-the-mysterious-disappearance-of-amelia-earhart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genealogybank.com\/blog\/gone-the-mysterious-disappearance-of-amelia-earhart.html","title":{"rendered":"Gone: The Mysterious Disappearance of Amelia Earhart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/em><\/strong>: In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega searches old newspapers to learn more about the mysterious disappearance of pioneering woman pilot Amelia Earhart, who vanished seemingly without a trace on 2 July 1937 somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Gena is a genealogist and author of the book \u201cFrom the Family Kitchen.<\/span>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Everyone knows about her. The life of Amelia Earhart is legend. The early aviatrix\u2019s love of flying started with her first plane ride in 1920, and continued through flight lessons in 1921 and her role as the first female member of a flight crew to cross the Atlantic in a plane, in 1928.<\/p>\n

\"Photo:<\/a>
Photo: Amelia Earhart standing under nose of her Lockheed Model 10-E Electra \u2013 the plane she was flying when she mysteriously disappeared. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her life was full of firsts, but she wanted more: more challenges, more new or broken records, more flying. Her attempt in 1937 to be the first woman to fly around the world would prove to be her last \u2013 but that one singular attempt has captivated everyone\u2019s imagination for 80 years, due to her mysterious and still unexplained disappearance.<\/p>\n

In 1937, 29,000 miles seemed like a good challenge for the 39-year-old aviatrix, who was joined on her attempted record-setting flight by navigator Fred Noonan. They were flying a specially-modified Lockheed Electra 10-E airplane built to Earhart\u2019s specifications. Her first attempt at the record had to be scrapped due to mechanical problems, but she nearly made it on her second try.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration:<\/a>
Illustration: Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Model 10 Electra, at Oakland, California, on 20 March 1937. Credit: United States Air Force; Wikimedia Commons.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That second attempt saw her take a route from west to east, flying 22,000 miles with stops in South America, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and Southeast Asia. On 29 June 1937, she landed in New Guinea. She had 7,000 miles to go \u2013 but those remaining miles were all over the Pacific Ocean.*<\/p>\n

Disaster Strikes<\/strong><\/p>\n

On July 2nd Earhart and Noonan departed Lae, New Guinea, en route to Howland Island. Despite some inclement weather, Earhart and Noonan appeared to be getting close to the small island where they wanted to land. At 6:14 a.m. she radioed the USCGC Itasca<\/em> stationed at Howland Island to say she estimated she was 200 miles away. Then at 6:45 a.m. she reported she was just 100 miles from Howland Island.<\/p>\n

At 7:42 a.m., the Itasca<\/em> picked up a message: \u201cWe must be on you, but we cannot see you. Fuel is running low. Been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at 1,000 feet.\u201d At 8:43 a.m. Earhart made what is believed to be her last radio transmission when she said: \u201cWe are running on line north and south.\u201d** Not only was Earhart losing radio contact with the Itasca<\/em>, her plane was running out of gas.<\/p>\n

She was never heard from again, and no wreckage from her plane has ever been found.<\/p>\n

As soon as the news broke of Earhart\u2019s disappearance, newspapers wasted no time publishing articles detailing everything known about the missing plane and her crew. Articles blanketed multiple pages of daily newspapers reporting everything from interviews with friends and family of Earhart and Noonan, to facts about her plane and the flight plan, to the rescue attempts.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Seattle Daily Times (Seattle, Washington), 3 July 1937, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to a front page article, the 3 July 1937 issue of the Seattle Daily Times<\/em> had two pages devoted to articles about Earhart, Noonan, and the search. As you can imagine, great hope existed in those first few days after Earhart\u2019s plane disappeared.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Seattle Daily Times (Seattle, Washington), 3 July 1937, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While official channels were monitoring the radio transmission of Earhart, so too were amateur radio enthusiasts. The article \u201cNavy Plane Speeding to Aid Search at Howland\u201d mentions that on the day of her disappearance, in addition to the Coast Guard and Pan American Airways, amateur radio operators were following Earhart\u2019s radio. This was a rescue effort that many, both government and civilians, felt a part of.<\/p>\n

There was hope in those first hours and days after the disappearance. Maybe she landed the plane on a neighboring island or was floating in the ocean (or Earhart and Noonan were aboard the inflatable boat they carried with them). Earhart\u2019s husband, the publisher George Palmer Putnam, remarked: \u201cThe plane should float, but I couldn’t estimate for how long because a Lockheed plane has never been forced down at sea before.\u201d Earhart had other emergency supplies with her including life belts, flares, signal kit, and food and water.<\/p>\n

As those early newspapers articles speculated as to where Earhart was, civilians had their own theories. Charles Randolph, Jr., a 12-year-old boy from Wyoming, reported picking up a faint radio transmission that said \u201cAmelia Earhart calling\u2026 ship on reef south of the equator\u201d on the morning of 5 July 1937. The newspaper Times-Picayune<\/em> reported that an air official said the report was \u201cplausible and not improbable.\u201d That boy\u2019s report of hearing Earhart\u2019s faint voice over the radio waves was one of many that were most likely not Earhart, but instead wishful thinking.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), 5 July 1937, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Search<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Coast Guard cutter Itasca<\/em>, in charge of providing radio and air navigation support, started the initial search for Earhart\u2019s plane. However, by the afternoon of July 3rd it reported that it had scanned 3,000 square miles of ocean and had not seen any sign of the aviatrix, her navigator, or their plane. Help was on its way to increase the search, including the aircraft carrier Lexington<\/em>, which was sent from San Diego, California.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Idaho Statesman (Boise, Idaho), 4 July 1937, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The search continued for two weeks, but no matter how many soldiers, ships, and planes scanned the ocean and nearby islands, nothing was found and hope changed to dread. On July 16th<\/sup>, the newspaper reports mirror the loss of hope of those who were searching in vain.<\/p>\n

For example, the following Times-Picayune<\/em> article starts out commenting on the 1500 \u201csweltering sailors\u201d laboring on the search and explains that \u201cForty-two planes again left the decks of the aircraft-carrier Lexington for their third sweep of the equatorial seas about Howland Island. Three and one-half hours later the air fleet returned, empty-handed as usual, to the Lexington.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana), 16 July 1937, page 3<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After spending 17 days searching over 250,000 square miles of ocean, on July 19th the search was declared over.*** The San Francisco Chronicle\u2019s<\/em> front page declared \u201cNavy Gives Up Its Hunt for Amelia.\u201d Admiral Orrin G. Murfin, commander of the Fourteenth Naval district, reported that:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have covered all possible territory… some of it we have been over as much as three times. I could not conceive of any other place where we might direct our search, and obviously we can\u2019t keep it up indefinitely. We feel that we\u2019ve done everything possible now.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A search that included the Itasca<\/em>, the mine sweeper Swan<\/em>, the USS Lexington<\/em>, and 62 of its planes was over. Amelia Earhart and her navigator Frederick Noonan were considered dead.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), 19 July 1937, page 1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Mystery Continues<\/strong><\/p>\n

The mystery of what happened on 2 July 1937 still intrigues those who love history, and Amelia Earhart\u2019s many fans. Numerous books and research trips are part of the continuing efforts to try to answer the question of what really happened that July morning. Did Earhart and Noonan drown in their plane that plunged to the ocean floor, or did she land on a neighboring island waiting for the rescue that would never materialize? Was she captured by the Japanese who executed her for being a spy?<\/p>\n

Like most lovers of history, I hope that one day we learn the truth about what happened to Amelia \u2013 but I also believe it\u2019s important to remember her for more than just her disappearance. Ultimately, Amelia Earhart wanted to show the world that women were the equals of men.<\/p>\n

Before her 1928 Atlantic flight she wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cI have tried to play for a large stake. If I succeed, all will be well. If I don\u2019t I shall be only too happy to bop off in the midst of such an adventure.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note:<\/em><\/strong> An online collection of newspapers, such as GenealogyBank\u2019s Historical Newspaper Archives<\/a>, is not only a great way to learn about the lives of your ancestors \u2013 the old newspaper articles also help you understand American history and the times your ancestors lived in, and the news they talked about and read in their local papers.<\/p>\n

———————–<\/p>\n

* \u201cAmelia Earhart,\u201d Wikipedia (https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Amelia_Earhart: accessed 5 July 2017).
\n** \u201cBiography,\u201d Amelia Earhart (http:\/\/ameliaearhart.com\/biography\/: accessed 5 July 2017).
\n*** Ibid.<\/p>\n

Related Article:<\/strong><\/p>\n