Amelia Earhart: The Island Life

Amelia Earhart: The Island Life

She took her first plane ride in 1920; her first flying lesson in 1921 and bought her first plane in 1922. In these three years, she found her calling and her goals for what she wanted to accomplish in her life. She achieved many things, including her attempt to circumnavigate the world even though it may have not ended the way that was hoped. Although many people believe Amelia Earhart passed away in the crash connected to her flight, it can be proved that Earhart’s life continued an island in the Pacific Ocean.

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas. Mrs. Earhart was a woman of many accomplishments. She set the world flying record reaching a grand total of 18,415 feet. She

also achieved the world’s highest altitude for woman pilots in October of 1922 reaching 14,000 feet. In April of 1928, Earhart received a phone call asking if she would be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Unfortunately, she was not permitted to do any flying even though she was listed as a co-pilot. After this flight, many writers wrote stories and articles about it. One author that wrote a biography about it, George P. Putnam had a special impact. Nicknaming Earhart “Lady Lindy” with an interesting story to go along with the name the tale became a best seller. Amelia Earhart went on to marry Putnam after her would divorce his wife for her. After her marriage to Putnam she continued to strive in doing what she loved: flying. Roughly five years after her flight with Lindbergh she set off on another journey. Her trip was not successful due to horrible weather conditions. However, she once again called attention to herself becoming an international hero, “Between 1930 and 1935, she set seven women’s speed and distance aviation records.” (Szalay). The next flight she would attempt would be her last one and possibly her greatest of all time.

Though many try to prove that Earhart died in the middle of the pacific, there is hardly any evidence to back that up. Many artifacts have been found proving that she died on an island. Additionally, remains of a European female have been found on the island, “Found partial skeleton on a remote part of the island.” The body was found on part of the island that was not close to the shore. Therefore, her body could not have just washed up on the shore with her airplane. If her plane crashed and she died in the middle of the ocean than her body would most likely have not been dejected and would remain stuck in the plane not on the middle on an island.
Thanks to human nature and survival skills Earhart could find land and stay alive for a little while longer. Earhart being a woman of the early 1900’s was able to live off some of the tools and trainings taught to woman of that era, such as being able to cook. It is highly unlikely that the food from her plane survived the crash and it is highly probable that the remains of the food that did survive were contaminated and unsafe to consume. There have also been reports about a campfire, “They caught fish, seabirds and turtles and collected rainwater. Earhart died at the campsite on the islands southeast end,” (Szalay) that was started to warm and cook food for Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan (Szalay). Earhart was able to use what of the island she had available to her for an advantage. Reports of shoe tracks have been found, meaning that either she or Noonan went looking for something to eat (Bennett-Smith). With the ability to build a fire and the effort to look for food, Amelia Earhart was capable of adding a few weeks onto her life.
Amelia Earhart survived her rocky flight and was able to end up on an island where she later passed away.

Personal belongings of hers have been found as well as some belongings of her navigator, Fred Noonan. Around the island many things have washed up, “Also, in 1940, a British Colonial Service officer found a partial skeleton on the island, as well as a campfire, animal bones, a sextant box and remnants of a man’s shoe and a woman’s shoe,” (Szalay). The sextant box that was found on the island matches up to the serial numbers that were on the boxes of Amelia Earhart’s time period as well as the items that were found inside seem to match up with what “Lady Lindy” would have carried (TIGHAR Publications). With all the evidence found, there is no doubt that it all belonged to Amelia Earhart and she managed to save some of it after her

crash.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Earhart’s last flight did not go quite as well as she had planned, “They encountered problems with overcast skies and rain showers early on. Some witnesses reported that the radio antenna may have been damaged, and other experts suggest that their maps may have been inaccurate. As they neared Howland island they were unable to make sufficient connection with the Itasca or to land on the island. Earhart’s last communication was at 8:43 a.m. ‘We are running north and south,’” (Szalay). It is obvious that after her take off from Lae that things were not quite going in an upright direction. Earhart and Noonan were circumnavigating the Atlantic east to west following around in the direction of the equator not north and south. Therefore if they were running north and south they were not traveling in the direction of their hopes. Thankfully once her plane crashed Earhart was able to find what was formally known as Gardner Island, now known as Nikumaroro Island. A theory that hold to this day declares that the plane ran out of fuel and the flyers ditched it somewhere near the island once they crashed ( Szalay). There is also evidence of a wreckage on shore from a picture three months after Earhart’s crash, “the aircraft appears to have been washed seaward and become hung up in the surf zone at the reef edge,” (TIGHAR Publications). It does not appear that her crash was fatal and it does seem that she managed to stay alive a little while longer while living or Gardner Island. It appears as if Earhart passed away on the island nearby a makeshift campsite.
Amelia Earhart was a woman of great accomplishments for woman inside and outside of aviation.

Even though her final resting place is still undecided strong affirmations have been made to prove that she did pass away on Gardner Island after her flight went terribly wrong. It does not seem as if she passed away in a crash on her journey circumnavigating the world. She had the brains and intelligence level to find land and the ability to find food to eat. Additionally, some of her belongings were also found on the island. Rightfully and without a reason of doubt Amelia Earhart passed away after spending some time living the life on Gardner

Island.