Last Trip Of Amelia Earhart - Free Essay Example

On June 1, 1937, Amelia Earhart began her infamous journey with hopes to become the first woman to fly around the world. Having already broken many aviating barriers, Earhart was no stranger to these types of challenges. She had already set and broken many flying records for women, this did not seem to be too far out of reach for Earhart. Unfortunately, this trip turned out to be her last (Michals).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For almost 80 years, the remains and resting place of Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan were thought to be lost forever. However, recent discoveries and improvements in technology may have changed that. In 1940, only two and a half years after the disappearance of Earhart and her plane, thirteen bones were found along the shore of Nikumaroro Island (Eltagouri). This island is only 350 nautical miles from the Howland Islands, where Earhart was aiming to stop to refuel her aircraft.   A reexamination of this evidence strongly suggests that the mystery of Amelia Earharts disappearance has been solved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From an early age, Earhart resented her father due to his frustration and unhappiness with his lack of provisions to his family. Because of his unhappiness, Amelias father, Edwin, often turned to alcohol and became an alcoholic. Seeing what her father had become, Earhart decided that she would be independent and share equal responsibilities with a man, not allowing herself to depend on them financially (Krystek). In 1920, Amelia rode in a plane for the first time and began to take flying lessons with Neta Snook, the first female to graduate from the Curtiss School of Aviation. In June 1921, Earhart took her first solo flight and was almost always in the air, becoming the best pilot she could be. In 1922, she set the maximum altitude obtained by a woman pilot at 14,000 feet (Michals). However, in 1924, Earharts parents divorced and she decided to take a break from flying to enroll at Columbia University. She dropped out less than a semester into her studie s because she believed that That semester [at Columbia University] convinced me that I didnt have the qualities to be an M.D. For one, I lacked the patience. I wanted to be doing something, not preparing for it (Krystek). In 1926, she became a social worker in Boston.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1927, the first solo flight from New York to Paris was made by Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh. Soon after, Mrs. Fredrick Guess decided that it was time for a woman to try to recreate this flight. Being very wealthy, Mrs. Guess planned on buying an aircraft and hiring a crew to do just this. However, after reassessing the dangers of this journey, Mrs. Guess decided that she would not make this flight. She then became determined to find someone that she deemed was able to fit the image that she had in mind. In 1928, Earhart received a phone call from George Palmer Putnam, a publisher who had hopes of publishing the story of the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Although she was just a passenger, this trip brought Earhart an immense amount of fame and popularity (Krystek). Earhart married Putnam in 1931 after he had proposed to her multiple times. Although it has been reported that they most likely were not a perfect match, Earhart enjoyed how Putnam allowed her to be independent and continue to fly and how he became her business manager (Krystek).   Although she was grateful for her new found fame, Earhart felt like she did not deserve anything because she did not pilot the journey, but rather was just a passenger. In 1932, five years after her initial transAtlantic journey, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean by herself. But her goals did not end there. In 1937, Amelia Earhart attempted to become the first female to pilot her way around the globe. With the help of her navigator, Fred Noonan, Earhart began her journey in March 1937 in Hawaii. For the most part, this trip ran according to plan until June 1937. On June 1, 1937, while on their way to the Howland Islands to stop for fuel, Earharts plane went missing (Raff). While the exact resting location of Earhart and Noonan may remain unknown forever, there are many theories surrounding the subject. The most popular and recent theory is that Earharts plane ran out of fuel and crashed on Nikumaroro Island, only 350 nautical miles away from her anticipated destination. It is known that Earharts plane was off course by a few degrees, presumably from the wind, so it is likely that this theory could be correct (Hartigan Shea).   In 1940, only two and a half years after the disappearance of Earhart and Noonan, thirteen unidentifiable bones were found on the island of Nikumaroro by British explorers. These bones were shipped to Fiji to be studied and examined. Unfortunately, at the time forensic osteology was not very advanced and was not yet a well-developed discipline, and Hoodlesss [the scientist responsible for studying these bones] methods of determining sex were inadequate compared to modern techniques (Eltagouri). Because of this, these bones were measured and studied but were originally found to not match the description of the bones of Earhart. However, recent studies by University of Tennessee professor Richard L. Jantz show that, while nothing can be confirmed, there is up to a 99% chance that these bones were indeed Amelia Earharts. Jantz compared the lengths of the bones to Earharts measurements, using her height, weight, body build, limb lengths and proportions, based on photographs and information found on her pilots and drivers licenses. His findings revealed that Earharts bones were more similar to the Nikumaroro bones than 99 [percent] of individuals in a large reference sample.  Ã‚   In the case of the Nikumaroro bones, the only documented person to whom they may belong is Amelia Earhart, Jantz wrote in the study (Eltagouri).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amelia Earhart was an amazing aviator who broke many records. Without her ambition and achievements, aviation standards my not be where they are now. Despite breaking the record for the highest flight by a woman and being the first woman to travel transAtlantic as a passenger, Earhart was not satisfied. She attempted to become the first female pilot to navigate this transAtlantic flight, but unfortunately, Earhart was unsuccessful. While there are many theories as to what happened to them, the final resting place of Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan may forever remain unknown.