Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan vanish near Howland Island on a round-the-world flight, triggering the largest U.S. search for a lost aircraft to that date.
Contested history
Consensus: Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared on 2 July 1937 while trying to reach Howland Island in the Pacific.
Ran out of fuel and crashed at sea near HowlandDebated
Radio logs show they were near the island and low on fuel, and the U.S. Navy concluded they went down at sea.
Landed on Nikumaroro (Gardner Island) and died as castawaysDebated
Bones found there in 1940 and artifacts found by searchers are suggestive, but none has been tied to Earhart beyond doubt.
Captured by the JapaneseUnsupported
Claims rest on later witness accounts and a disputed photo that was shown to predate the flight.