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How did Amelia Earhart die? How did Amelia Earhart die?
Amelia Earhart died when her plane crashed while searching for Howland Island Amelia Earhart died when her plane crashed while searching for Howland Island
Amelia Earhart made it to Gardner Island (Nikumaroro) and perished there or in surrounding waters. Amelia Earhart made it to Gardner Island (Nikumaroro) and perished there or in surrounding waters.
Amelia Earhart was captured by the Japanese military Amelia Earhart was captured by the Japanese military
Amelia Earhart assumed another identity and lived beyond her speculated 1937 death Amelia Earhart assumed another identity and lived beyond her speculated 1937 death
Amelia Earhart died searching for Howland Island Amelia Earhart died searching for Howland Island
Amelia Earhart survived the initial crash of her plane, made it to Gardner Island (Nikumaroro), then perished there Amelia Earhart survived the initial crash of her plane, made it to Gardner Island (Nikumaroro), then perished there
Amelia Earhart died when her plane crashed near Gardner Island (Nikumaroro) Amelia Earhart died when her plane crashed near Gardner Island (Nikumaroro)
Amelia Earhart was captured after crashing and executed by the Japanese military Amelia Earhart was captured after crashing and executed by the Japanese military
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How did Amelia Earhart die?
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Amelia Earhart was captured by the Japanese military

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Amelia Earhart was captured after crashing and executed by the Japanese military

Instead of crashing near Howland or Gardner Islands, Earhart and Noonan mistakenly navigated their way into the Japanese South Seas Mandate where they were captured.
Mike Campbell
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The Argument

Instead of crashing near Howland or Gardner Islands, Earhart and Noonan mistakenly navigated their way into the Japanese South Seas Mandate. Subsequently, it is presumed that Earhart and Noonan had crashed into Saipan, part of the Northern Marina Islands. In 1990, the NBC-TV series Unsolved Mysteries broadcast an interview with a Saipanese woman who claimed to have witnessed Earhart and Noonan’s execution by Japanese soldiers.[1] Other proponents of this theory suggest that the Marshall Islands is also a plausible location for this potential capture and execution.[2] The Japanese military at this point in time was an incredibly aggressive force in the Pacific theater, thus not making it a huge leap to presume that they would be hostile to American outsiders. Earhart’s own relatives are convinced that the Japanese were somehow involved in her death.[3]

Counter arguments

The theory that the Japanese military would kill an American hero, several years before the start of World War II, is highly impractical. For one, both of the suggested islands for a potential capture, the Japanese controlled Saipan and the Marshall Islands, are quite far from any intended goal of Earhart’s or Noonan’s.[4] It is unlikely such experienced aviators would drift so far off course. Furthermore, had the Japanese found a crashed Earhart and Noonan, there would be much more motivation on an international scale to rescue the aviators and be hailed as heroes.

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.history.com/specials/amelia-earhart-the-lost-evidence
  2. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/07/amelia-earhart-disappearance-theories-spd/#close
  3. https://archive.org/details/ameliacentennial0000gold
  4. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/07/amelia-earhart-disappearance-theories-spd/#close
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 20 Oct 2020 at 15:38 UTC