It is summer in the year 1937. America is amidst the Great Depression; millions of people have lost their jobs and were suffering from economic hardships. Suddenly news outlet all over the nation spreads that Amelia Earhart, a woman whose accomplishments as an aviator brought hope to countless people across the nation, has gone missing during her solo transatlantic flight. Her disappearance was a mystery to the world, all the American citizens had to go off were her final communications over the radio on her plane yielding very few answers. People wanted answers, so the U.S. government sent search parties looking for the missing aviator to no avail. Unable to get answers from the government people across the nation began dabbling in conspiracy theories in order to find their own answers for Earhart’s …show more content…
disappearance.
As an accomplished aviator, Amelia Earhart broke multiple aviation records during her career. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, to fly across the North American continent and back, and broke multiple speed and distance records (Timeline). July 1937 aviator Amelia Earhart disappeared during her infamous “around-the-world flight” (Legend). Amelia Earhart’s disappearance showed key factors needed for conspiracy theories to successfully spread to the American people. Conspiracy theories can be described in various ways. Walter Bryce Gallie describes it as an “essentially contested rhetorical concept”. (Goertzel) Meaning that the term is generally accepted across many intellectual groups, but the exact definition is not agreed upon. One definition for conspiracy theory describes it as “a secret plan on the part of a group to influence events in part by covert action”(Goertzel). Which essentially means when an influential group is accused of using their power to cover up an action they are believed to have committed is considered a conspiracy. One of the reasons conspiracy theories spread about Earhart’s disappearance was due to the
fame she had accumulated while she was alive. First gaining her fame during her 1928 flight across the Atlantic with aviators Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon, she became known across the country (Sherman). After the flight George Putnam, Earhart’s publicist and future husband, set her on a cross-country speaking tour about her experience during the Atlantic flight (Sherman). George Putnam skyrocketed her career by promoting various tours and flights making Earhart a celebrity within America (Sherman). In Amelia: A Biography by Doris Rich the author stated that “nothing she might have said or done, no scheme George Palmer Putnam might have designed, could so enhance Earhart’s renown as the mystery of her disappearance. She had been famous. By vanishing she became legendary” (Rich). One conspiracy theory about Earhart’s disappearance was that she was on a mission given to her by president Franklin Roosevelt to spy on the Japanese and was captured and later was covered up by the U.S. government to hide any involvement (Pruitt). Modern day Americans often create their own conspiracy theories to explain the mysterious death of a celebrity similar to Americans from the early twentieth century. Conspiracy theorists accused the ex-CIA director, William Colby, of planting a wire with carcinogenic toxins in a shoe delivered to Bob Marley giving him skin cancer that ultimately lead to his death (Thurtle). After the death of comedian Robin Williams conspiracy theorists started spreading that the secret organization the “Illuminati”, an organization generally accused of controlling the world from behind the scenes, murdered Williams in order to complete a Satanic ritual (Thurtle). Whenever an influential celebrity dies or goes missing, Americans are likely to create a conspiracy accusing some sort of “all powerful” organization for being involved in the death or disappearance of the celebrity.
In the 1937 newspaper, article “Amelia’s Voice Heard by Amateur Radio Operator”, The Atchison Daily Globe reports on two Los Angeles amateur radio operators who claimed they heard Earhart transmit a distress signal at 7:00 a.m. Pacific time. The article expresses doubt about these clams using the statement “[In] San Francisco, however, a coastguard station reported at noon Eastern Standard Time it had received no word whatever although radio reception was unusually good” . The article also presents evidence supporting the two Radio operators, by explaining the amateur radio operators, “interpreted radio signals as placing the plane adrift near the equator between Gilbert Islands and Howland Island” . The article also, reports, because of this possible transmission from Earhart caused action, “the navy department ordered the battleship Colorado with three planes aboard, to begin a search from Honolulu, where it arrived yesterday ”.
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)
Amelia Earhart was the first female to be able to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1921, and earned her National Aeronautics Association License and set many records
Conspiracy theories are entertaining for many to speculate and demand a great deal of thought to constitute. A conspiracy theory is defined as the idea that many important political, economic, and social trends are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public (“The Definition of Conspiracy Theory”). Many conspiracy theories are thought up around children’s shows, which offers a feeling of nostalgia and pleasure. A few children’s show conspiracies that need a deeper light shone on them are from Max & Ruby (2002-2013), Winnie the Pooh (1977), Rugrats (1990-2004), and All Grown Up (2003-2008).
Conspiracy theories accuse others of a cover up by secret planning. They may be based on a hunch or even backed by evidence. To the curious mind, they bring about unanswered questions that have attracted the attention of many people throughout history. Among some of the more popular theories are the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; the death of Princess Diana; alien encounters in Roswell, New Mexico; and the idea that Elvis may still be alive. Perhaps the most intriguing theory, because of our neighboring location, is the underground bunker and seemingly strange characteristics at the Denver airport.
Amelia Mary Earhart was the first of two children to be born to Amy Otis. Her Grandfather, Alfred Otis, was a high class citizen in Atchison, as well as a judge. Edwin, Amelia’s father, endured many failures which caused his blooming alcoholism to worsen, bringing his family into an unknown poverty. Making a tough decision Amy sent Amelia and her younger sister Muriel to their Grandparents to attend The College Preparatory in Atchison. In 1908, at the Iowa State Fair that Amelia’s father took her to, she caught a glimpse of her first plane. Upon Amelia’s first sight of the plane she had thought it was a “thing of rust wire and wood, not interesting at all.”
Amelia got a call and they had asked her if she wanted to be the first woman to fly around the equator and over the Pacific ocean. Amelia agreed to what they were asking her to do. Amelia started training, within months of training they were finally ready to fly across the Pacific ocean. Amelia flew across the ocean in 1928, she mysteriously went missing in a plane crash while she was flying over the ocean, they never knew what happened to her for sure but there are some conspiracy theories that she disappeared into the bermuda triangle or that she was taken by the japanese but we are still not clear on what happened to
Brian Keeley’s short essay, “Of Conspiracy Theories” discusses conspiracy theories and their value in an epistemological context. Keeley defines a conspiracy theory as “a proposed explanation of some historical event (or events) in terms of the significant causal agency of a relatively small group of persons-the conspirators-acting in secret (Keeley 1999, pg. 116).” Keeley seeks to answer the question of why conspiracy theories are unwarranted. His interest in the warrant of conspiracy theories focuses on ¬the unfalsifiability of conspiracy theories and how conspiracy theories are founded upon an extraordinarily large amount of skepticism. In section III, Keely discusses what a conspiracy theory is, and contends that there is no grounds for distinguishing a warranted conspiracy theory from an unwarranted conspiracy theory (UCT). Keely expands upon section III in section IV, by introducing falsifiability and skepticism and giving a deeper analysis on the difficulties of UCTs. In section V, he discusses the issues raised and the implication of their popularity. A brief conclusion is given is section VI, in which he discusses the morals that should be taken away from the essay.
Such as, did inside traders know about attacks before the event even occurred, Why did the world's most powerful air force fail to intercept any of the four hijacked planes, Why did the Twin Towers collapse so quickly and a good question is why was the crash site at Shanksville, Pennsylvania so small and why was the aircraft debris not visible. Many of these conspiracies got most of the world thinking about the tragic event that occurred on september 11, 2001 and if it was an event that was made up by the government to set up the terrorist and their
On the evening of March 1st, 1932, famous aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh put their 20 month old baby, Charles “Charlie” Augustus Lindbergh Jr to bed on the second floor of the Lindbergh home near Hopewell, New Jersey. When the child’s nurse, Betty Gow, went to check on Charlie, he was gone. Gow then reported the child’s absence to his parents. The police were contacted immediately and the search for the baby began. While trying to get in touch with the suspect who was leaving handwritten notes, the Lindbergh’s were very close to receiving their precious child. On May 12th, 1932, 72 days after the kidnapping, a decomposed body of a baby was found in the woods near the Lindbergh house. The child was dead and was predicted to have died on the night of the kidnapping as a result of a fractured skull. Charles Lindbergh was able to identify the baby as his own. Now the kidnapping had also become an immoral murder. Bruno Hauptmann is proven guilty through physical evidence, some which is found at the crime scene, his own physical features, and his handwriting. Additionally, his residency and money, specifically gold certificates assist in determining his innocence. Lastly, the testimonies at Hauptmann’s trial lead to one clear statement at last. Through an examination of physical evidence and case details, it can be concluded that Bruno Richard Hauptmann was responsible for the kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh.
...rhart’s life was never answered. It satisfies some, to convince themselves a certain story or theory is true. Clues have been found, but many pieces of the puzzle are still lost. The death of Amelia Earhart, has continued to bring up women’s accomplishments, which is why many decide to abandon the questions, and leave Amelia wherever she is. Instead of focusing on the one event that brought her life down, people can remember her for all the records she set, the people she helped, and the events that made her life so distinct in the eyes of Americans. Walter J. Boyne, a retired United States Air Force officer, once said, “Amelia Earhart came perhaps before her time,…the smiling, confident, capable, yet compassionate human being, is one of which we can all be proud.” Earhart and her adventurous life will never be forgotten, and instead will be honored and remembered.
Charles Lindbergh, an American aviator, flew solo over the Atlantic Ocean, fought in WWII, received many awards, and had been happily married to Anne Morrow Lindbergh for 45 years when he died in 1974 (Ferrara). Through his accomplishments as both a pilot and a soldier, Charles Lindbergh became an American legacy.
Amelia Earhart was not only the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, but an iconic figure for girls across the nation. Many people told her that it was impossible for a woman to fly across the Atlantic, but on May 10, 1932 she proved them wrong! Earhart was a strong and noble character in American aviation, and helped to knock down sexist barriers between men and women! Amelia Earhart never gave up on her dream of becoming an aviator, showing us that we should never give up on dreams of our own.
Conspiracy: The act of secretly planning to do something that is harmful or illegal (Merriam-Webster). In the winter of 1741, a robbery and a rash of fires broke out in New York City; they were the beginning of what would become known as, “The New York Conspiracy Trials.” The trials, presided over by three Supreme Court Justices, Chief Justice James DeLancey, Second Justice Frederick Philipse and Third Justice Daniel Horsmanden, who three years after the trials published his journals from the court proceedings, so that, as he said, people would stop trying to convince themselves that there had been no conspiracy at all (Zabin 5).
Since the beginning of settled civilizations, people have had more mutual sharings than ever before. By the same token, there have been some conspiracy theories that are usually against the culturally accepted beliefs of religions, science and society. A conspiracy theory can be described so differently. However, as in his text, Marshall Brain explicates, a conspiracy is generally defined as a theory seeking to explain a disputed case or matter as a plot by a secret group or alliance rather than an individual or isolated act (Brain). Especially, after the new media has become quite popular, more and more conspiracies are theorized every single day, which aim to catch society’s attention via such media tools as the internet, journals and newspapers. Thus, people who theorize those conspiracies tend to use such objects as spiritual and mysterious ones in order to interest people. To illustrate, many examples can be given. For instance, many people have claimed that they were abducted by aliens, although they could show no evidences. Here, a citation from Blackmore could facilitate to understand the circumstance better. She states that people occasionally claim that they have been abducted from public places by aliens, in this case that may provide them with witnesses and affirmations but no evidence could be shown so far (Blackmore). As it is well known, only a small number of people believe such alien abductions, however, rating of this kind of news is quite high on media, because humankind has been wondering if there are extraterrestrial creatures out of the earth. Another example can be conspiracy theories which are about the origins of religions such as the rejection of Jesus Christ. There are some people who pay attention to...