BIOGRAPHY: Amelia Mary Earth, by Pili Azkarateazkazua

Amelia was an American aviator who disappeared in the Pacific Ocean, famous for being the first woman to fly around the world.

She was born in Atchison, Kansas, on 24th July 1897.

She received her first flying lesson from Neta Suak, another pioneering pilot. In 1922 she got her first record, flying at 14,000 feet and in 1923 she obtained a pilot's license.

In 1935 she began to plan a trip around the world.

Fred Noomar was chosen as accompanist for his experience on the Pacific Ocean. She  went  from Miami on June 1937 to Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Africa, the Oriental Indies and Australia.

What happened to Amelia is an unsolved mystery. Although there are three theories of what happened:

The first theory says that In 1939 there was a plane crash on the island of Nikumaro in the Pacific Ocean with two survivors, a man and a woman that fit with the descriptions of Amelia and her co-driver.

The second theory says that Amelia crashed near her destination, in Howland island. And the third theory says that they didn’t find Howland island and they went to Marshall islands, at that time occupied by the Japanese. There they  were accused of being American spies.

Other theory says that they didn’t find Howland island and returned to the US with false names.

The official US version is that the plane ran out of fuel and crashed in the Pacific Ocean.

Pili Azkarateazkazua