Amelia Earhart, a world-class aviator, disappeared in 1937.
Declared dead on January 5, 1939.
Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, faced an enduring mystery regarding their fate.
Recent Developments
Three former U.S. government employees (FBI, Treasury, Air Force) investigated Earhart's disappearance.
A two-hour History Channel documentary suggested Earhart and Noonan survived the crash.
Key Findings from the Documentary
Japanese Imprisonment Theory:
U.S. military allegedly knew Earhart and Noonan were prisoners of Japan in the Marshall Islands.
Did not act to avoid revealing cracked Japanese codes.
Photographic Evidence:
A misfiled photo found in the National Archives shows a Caucasian man (believed to be Noonan) and a woman in pants (believed to be Earhart) on Jaluit Island.
A ship in the background, Koshu Maru, is towing an aircraft matching Earhart's Lockheed Electra.
The Marshall Islands Crash Theory:
Earhart and Noonan may have landed on Mili Atoll in the Marshalls due to a storm.
Captured by Japanese, leading to Saipan where Noonan was executed, and Earhart possibly died of dysentery.
Challenges in the Investigation
Attempts to find remains on Saipan unsuccessful; no bones recovered.
Historical accounts and previous documentaries indicated bone fragments were found but are missing today.
Alternative Search by TIGHAR
Focus on Nikumaroro Island, 1,000 miles from the Marshalls.
TIGHAR and National Geographic sent four dogs to search for human remains.
Dogs alerted at a site called Seven Site; soil samples collected for DNA analysis.
TIGHAR's Theory
If Earhart and Noonan couldn't find Howland Island, they might have landed on Nikumaroro's reef.
Historical Context
Fred Noonan was born in 1893 near Chicago; Earhart was born four years later.
Theories on their fate continue to grow.
Conclusion
The truth about Earhart's disappearance remains elusive.
Future discoveries might rely on DNA evidence or uncovering new historical files.