What happened to Amelia Earhart? New book takes on the case.
Key summary
Three theories dominate: Earhart and Noonan crashed at sea after getting lost and running out of gas; they became castaways on Nikumaroro and died there; or Japanese forces captured and likely executed them.
A 1970 book claimed Earhart survived, changed her name to Irene Craigmile Bolam and remarried; Bolam denied it, sued, and the publisher pulled the book and settled.
Author Hartigan reviews the three theories in Lost and recounts Earhart’s life; after a second trip he grew skeptical of the castaway scenario and says the most likely outcome is that she got lost, ran out of fuel, and crashed.
A 2017 expedition recovered 1930s-era items — including a zipper pole, a pocket knife, a fire feature and water bottles — and cadaver dogs pointed to a possible campsite, but no bones have been found.
New technology and deep-sea methods aid searches: David Jourdan used sonar over a 1,200-square-mile area in 2003 and 2006; Nauticos ran experiments with 1930s equipment to estimate off-course positions; a 2024 expedition around Howland Island found no evidence.
