Every time we so much as tinge a toe out of state , I ’ve put cemeteries on our travel travel plan . From garden - like expanses to overgrown kick hills , whether they ’re the terminal resting places of the well - bed but not that important or the important but not that well - know , I be intimate them all . After realizing that there are a mess of taphophiles out there , I ’m finally put my archive of interesting tombstones to in force use .
It ’s been nearly 80 years since Amelia Earhart and her Lockheed Electra go away from the face of the earth in 1937 , but she remains one of America ’s favorite missing persons .
There ’s no shortage of theories on what happened to Earhart and her navigator , Fred Noonan . The most popular feeling is probably the simplecrash - and - sinktheory . It ’s been well documented that Earhart and Noonan were take trouble with their communication instrument and could n’t locate the bantam island of Howland , which is only two mile long by half a mile wide . Unable to get good directions from the team waiting for them there , theorists consider that the duo flew around looking for a secure place to domain until the Electra ran out of fuel .
Museum of Flight
Now , take the theory above and vary the ending , and you have the Gardner Island theory . A mathematical group of people , including Earhart ’s mother , believed that another , more visible island became the landing butt when the Electra began to run low on fuel . Human remains were discovered on the island in 1940 , but examination showed they belonged to a male . The boneswent missingbefore investigator could get a second view . The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery ( TIGHAR ) has since discovered many artifacts on the island , now known as Nikumaroro , including acosmetic jarthat resemble the packaging for a well - known lentigo - take away cream . Earhart had freckles and patently disliked them .
Then there ’s the possibility that Earhart and Noonan were captured and executed by Japanese soldier when they ram on the island of Saipan . TIGHAR dismisses this theory , order , “ it was a physical impossibility for the Earhart flight of stairs to have reach territory controlled by Japan and , even if it had , there was nothing there to espy on in 1937 , and no war machine to enamour her for spying on something that was n’t there . ”
Amelia ’s husband , George Putnam , personally investigate the hypothesis that Amelia disappeared to become Tokyo Rose , the receiving set broadcaster who spouted Nipponese propaganda during WWII . He flew to China to listen to audio files himself , andsworeafterward that his married woman ’s voice was not among them .
If you believe those last two theories are freaky , this one ’s a real doozie : Amelia Earhart did n’t die . She simply settle to New Jersey ( obviously ) and resurfaced under the name Irene Bolam . The real Irene Bolam steadfastly deny this call , and had mountain ofproofthat she was , and always had been , Irene — not Amelia .
Whichever theory is correct , one affair ’s for certain : Amelia still has n’t been found . So how do we have a Grave Sighting for a fair sex who has n’t even been turn up , let alone buried ?
Stacy Conradt
Well , despite her international popularity , no one loves Amelia more than the good people of her hometown , Atchison , Kansas . They ’ve set up several memorials to her , including an earthwork in the eye of a cemetery and a statue in the adjacentInternational Forest of Friendship , “ a life , grow memorial to the world history of aviation and aerospace . ” The inset of the earthwork below , by the way , is how it appears on Google Earth . The bigger picture is how it looks from the viewing political platform on a nearby hill . Either the Google Earth planet is sometime , or the viewing platform is worthless , because from my position on the platform , it just attend like someone got a minuscule rabid with the Weed - B - Gon .
If you ever find yourself in Atchison , you may also visit Amelia ’s place of birth , now a museum observe by the Ninety - Nines , an international organization for female cowcatcher . Unless you have a trip to Howland Island or Nikumaroro planned , these tribute are the closest you ’ll get to being able to give your regard . Unless , of path , TIGHAR ’s continued excursion finally discover the aviatress and bring her house .
See all introduction in our Grave Sightings serieshere .
