Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is launching a new search for Amelia Earhart's plane wreckage, as the 75th anniversary of the pilot's disappearance approaches. On July 2nd, 1937, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared while flying from New Guinea to Howland Island, and searches at that time were fruitless. Since then, a number of conspiracy theories have been formed, including one from an episode of National Geographic's Undiscovered History in 2006, which claimed Earhart survived the flight, moved to New Jersey, changed her name, remarried and became Irene Craigmile Bolam.
According to the Daily News, Clinton will meet with historians and scientists from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery today, and together they will launch a new search in June for the wreckage of the plane off the remote island of Nikumaroro. The group believes Earhart and Noonan landed on the island and survived for a short time. Previous visits to the island have turned up artifacts that could have belonged to Earhart and Noonan, and now a U.S. official has stated that analysis of a contemporary photo of the island shows what could be the strut and wheel of the plane.
In a statement, the department noted that the expedition "will underscore America’s spirit of adventure and courage, as embodied by Amelia Earhart, and our commitment to seizing new opportunities for cooperation with Pacific neighbors founded on the United States’ long history of engagement in the Asia-Pacific region."
Here's the last footage of Earhart and Noonan before their disappearance:
