Earhart mystery may be solved...

[Allierain]

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/10/23/amelia-earhart.html

As you all know, Richard Gillespie has been trying to prove his theories for years.

I've always been skeptical. He has found artifacts that he believes belonged to Earhart, like the shoe, but finding artifacts doesn't prove anything. There is no real evidence other than the junk he has found on that island. What evidence has he to link those items to Earhart? The plane part he found didn't match Earhart's Lockheed plane. So I think movie publicity has given Gillespie a new set of straws to grasp while he continues to look for more "evidence."

[Big3sCompanyFan]

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/10/23/amelia-earhart.html

As you all know, Richard Gillespie has been trying to prove his theories for years.

I've always been skeptical. He has found artifacts that he believes belonged to Earhart, like the shoe, but finding artifacts doesn't prove anything. There is no real evidence other than the junk he has found on that island. What evidence has he to link those items to Earhart? The plane part he found didn't match Earhart's Lockheed plane. So I think movie publicity has given Gillespie a new set of straws to grasp while he continues to look for more "evidence."

From the title of your thread you sounded serious but obviously you were being sarcastic.

The Earhart is one of the most fascinating of all time. I still recall that UM episode from eons ago when someone theorize Earhart was executed by the Japanese on some island. But she was with a man when she went missing. Who was that again?

Can someone please summarize the UM segment on Earhart?

BTW, by coincidence there is an Earhart show on HIST or NGEO in about 20 minutes and I'm going to watch it!

[catlover79]

I agree, this is one of the most fascinating unsolved mysteries of all time!! I am interested in seeing how this latest mission goes - if they find any new evidence.

[Marvo301]

The man who was with Amelia when she disappeared was her navigator, Fred Noonan. I wonder if perhaps they went off course early on that last day and therefore never flew anywhere near Howland Island. Perhaps that's why the plane has never been found. Maybe people have been searching in the wrong area. Just my little theory.

[catlover79]

The man who was with Amelia when she disappeared was her navigator, Fred Noonan. I wonder if perhaps they went off course early on that last day and therefore never flew anywhere near Howland Island. Perhaps that's why the plane has never been found. Maybe people have been searching in the wrong area. Just my little theory.
It's as good a theory as any!

[justins5256]

I never believed Gillespie's theories. He always struck me as a publicity hound grasping at straws to say he solved this case. They even demonstrated on UM how the rivet patterns didn't match on that part he claimed came from Earhart's plane. I also don't get how he only produced a part of the plane's underbelly. Where is the rest of the plane then?

[catlover79]

I never believed Gillespie's theories. He always struck me as a publicity hound grasping at straws to say he solved this case. They even demonstrated on UM how the rivet patterns didn't match on that part he claimed came from Earhart's plane. I also don't get how he only produced a part of the plane's underbelly. Where is the rest of the plane then?
I looked on YouTube and couldn't find the UM episode about her - but here's a ton of OTHER stuff about her...

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=amelia+earhart+&search_type=&aq=f

[Big3sCompanyFan]

I just saw the very interesting special on NGEO and different experts put forth 4 theories as to what happened and the most likely 2 are either the original one where she and Noonan just crashed into the ocean when they were just short of Gardner Island or the Japanese were somehow involved.

Most likely the executed her because the other angle about her doing a covert operation for the U.S. government and then coming back to live in secrecy doesn't make sense.

Check out this hilarious but actually plausible article about the stranded castaway theory:

AMELIA EATEN BY GIANT CRABS

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/10/26/amelia-earhart-landed-on-pacific-island-to-be-eaten-by-giant-coconut-crabs-group-says.aspx

[egswanso]

Gillespie's theory is possible, but the most likely explanation is the simplest, the plane crashed into the sea.

For Gillespie to have actual evidence, he's going to need to find things that can be conclusively linked to Amelia's flight. There's just too much WWII-era debris on random pacific islands to conclude otherwise.

[Marvo301]

I visited several websites last night to learn as much as I could about Amelia Earheart and Fred Noonan's last flight. After reading and contemplating all that information my conclusion is that they ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean.

[Big3sCompanyFan]

I visited several websites last night to learn as much as I could about Amelia Earheart and Fred Noonan's last flight. After reading and contemplating all that information my conclusion is that they ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean.

Took the easy way out huh? :happyface

[Marvo301]

Took the easy way out huh? :happyface
Well as egwanso said "the most likely explanation is the simplest".

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

Captain Sully would have brung that bird in for a landing! patriot:

[Big3sCompanyFan]

Captain Sully would have brung that bird in for a landing! patriot:

Yes he would've but he would've skidden on the water and waited for the NY Harbor Water Patrol to come save him. :D

It would've been great to see Earhart and Sully have an aviation skills competition.

[Allierain]

From the title of your thread you sounded serious but obviously you were being sarcastic.

Actually I took it right from the Yahoo headline I got the story link from. So perhaps they were being sarcastic. I was certainly rolling my eyes when I saw it.

[Big3sCompanyFan]

Anyway you look it at, Earhart was probably the bravest woman that EVER existed considering she took many solo flights over vast oceans hundreds of miles from any humans or any help!

She kind of reminds of Timothy Treadwell since they both knew they could die at any minute but Treadwell was ever worse since a 1000 lb. grizzly can kill you even faster than a plane skidding in the ocean and starving to death.

[Mastermind]

Gillespie's theory is possible, but the most likely explanation is the simplest, the plane crashed into the sea.

In missing persons cases theorizing is all in good, but ultimately pointless. Until we find the plane or a body, any theory is game.

The theory that she crashed into the sea is just as valid as the theory she was a POW of the Japanese.

It's really a matter of whether she crashed on land or in the sea. Odds favor the sea, but it's not out of the question she made land. Now once she landed in Japanese territory, the question is whether she survived long enough to be found by the Japanese Army or whether she was able to hide out amongst natives.

[Big3sCompanyFan]

In missing persons cases theorizing is all in good, but ultimately pointless. Until we find the plane or a body, any theory is game.

The theory that she crashed into the sea is just as valid as the theory she was a POW of the Japanese.

It's really a matter of whether she crashed on land or in the sea. Odds favor the sea, but it's not out of the question she made land. Now once she landed in Japanese territory, the question is whether she survived long enough to be found by the Japanese Army or whether she was able to hide out amongst natives.

The natives may not have necessarily been nice to her either. It's not exactly a surprise that some natives don't exactly have a fondness for the white man.

Or the white woman. LOL!

[nohwheregirl]

She kind of reminds of Timothy Treadwell since they both knew they could die at any minute but Treadwell was ever worse since a 1000 lb. grizzly can kill you even faster than a plane skidding in the ocean and starving to death.
And I doubt Earheart treated airplanes like toys in the way Treadwell treated grizzly bears like they were teddy bears.

[Marvo301]

The natives may not have necessarily been nice to her either. It's not exactly a surprise that some natives don't exactly have a fondness for the white man.

Or the white woman. LOL!
Some natives have a great fondness for white men and women. Apparently they taste like chicken! :eek: :lol:

[Apostapler]

And I doubt Earheart treated airplanes like toys in the way Treadwell treated grizzly bears like they were teddy bears.

LOL "Hello there Mr. Chocolate, how are you today?"

[VikingsGal]

I have always been a fan of Amelia and read anything I could get my hands on when I was little. I laways thought she simply crashed into the ocean when she ran out of gas.

But yes all theories are cool to listen to consider!

[Big3sCompanyFan]

I have always been a fan of Amelia and read anything I could get my hands on when I was little. I laways thought she simply crashed into the ocean when she ran out of gas.

But yes all theories are cool to listen to consider!

She's hiding out somewhere with Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Hitler. :lol:

[Jediknight1823]

She's hiding out somewhere with Elvis, Michael Jackson, and Hitler. :lol:

That can't be true.

Elvis is in a nursing home with JFK, and they're our last line of defense against an Egyptian mummy.

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

Still trying! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40605153?gt1=43001

[Guardian]

If they did not just simply crash, I would propose this: she was likely doing some kind of work for the US government and may have purposely been off course in order to do some scouting. That way there is plenty of room for plausible denial if caught.

Also, if not working for the US, she could have went off course by mistake and still ended up in Japanese hands in as a suspected spy. Then was executed.

These are the most likely theories to me.

[cocytus]

If, in the 73 years since Earhart and Noonan disappeared, no one has found SOLID evidence that they were on an espionage mission or that they were executed by members of the Japanese, then it probable that neither are true.

The most logical explanation was Earhart and Noonan's poor navigating got them lost, they ran out of fuel and either ditched in the ocean and drowned. Or...they succeeded in landing on or near an island (Gardner Island,probably) and then died of thirst or due to injury.

[bell83]

If, in the 73 years since Earhart and Noonan disappeared, no one has found SOLID evidence that they were on an espionage mission or that they were executed by members of the Japanese, then it probable that neither are true.

The most logical explanation was Earhart and Noonan's poor navigating got them lost, they ran out of fuel and either ditched in the ocean and drowned. Or...they succeeded in landing on or near an island (Gardner Island,probably) and then died of thirst or due to injury.

This I have to agree with. The likeliest scenario is that they ran out of fuel and ditched. As to whether or not either survived the ditching, that's something we may never know. Unless her plane is found with bodies inside, or that bone they found (according to the news story on AOL, yesterday) winds up being hers or Noonan's, that is. I would love to see this resolved.

[melskie007]

I agree, this is one of the most fascinating unsolved mysteries of all time!! I am interested in seeing how this latest mission goes - if they find any new evidence.

Yes I concure to this..I believe Amelia is a legend of her time and did so much in terms of womans equality. Because of her many woman were able envision further then the scope spectrum of that era..I do feel we owe it to Amelia to investigate any evidence we come across. I saw they found a bone, hopefully we can pull DNA off of it and link it back to the aviater.

[melskie007]

If, in the 73 years since Earhart and Noonan disappeared, no one has found SOLID evidence that they were on an espionage mission or that they were executed by members of the Japanese, then it probable that neither are true.

The most logical explanation was Earhart and Noonan's poor navigating got them lost, they ran out of fuel and either ditched in the ocean and drowned. Or...they succeeded in landing on or near an island (Gardner Island,probably) and then died of thirst or due to injury.

Yes^^ Witnesses of the Japanese, it just wasnt enough to support this theory..I feel she crashed in the ocean or on land and could have very well been very injured where perhaps she wasnt able to move? Also, espionage was going on in that time but there is no evidence to collaborate this theory of Amelia being a part of this. We'll see if in fact the evidence points to her once and for all.

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

Progress?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41874946/ns/technology_and_science-science/?gt1=43001