Amelia Earhart birthday: Secrets of her life and disappearance

Washington: The 115th birthday of the renowned American aviator Amelia Mary Earhart, whose enigmatic disappearance in 1937 has been a mystery till today, is being celebrated with Google doodle across the world on the homepages.

Here is her life story:

1. Amelia Mary Earhart was born on July 24, 1897

2. She was a noted American aviation pioneer and author.

3. Earhart was the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

4. She received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross for this record.

5. She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots.

6. Earhart joined the faculty of the Purdue University aviation department in 1935 as a visiting faculty member to counsel women on careers and help inspire others with her love for aviation.

7. She was also a member of the National Woman’s Party, and an early supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment.

8. Seventy-five years ago on July 2, 1937, Earhart, the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, mysteriously vanished somewhere over the Pacific Ocean during her attempted flight around the world.

9. Her two-engine plane, Lockheed Electra, was never found and neither was Earhart or her navigator, Fred Noonan.

10. Her Lockheed Vega 5b is now a part of the collection of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.

Theories behind her disappearance:

There are many theories circulating about Earhart’s being sent to Japan as a spy for the United States. One theory is that Earhart was simply asked by President Roosevelt to keep her eyes open as she flew over enemy territory to see what infrastructure they had.

Randall Brink, author of “Lost Star: The Search for Amelia Earhart,” insists in his book that Earhart was a spy. He writes about interviewing a technician who told him, “I recall that I was directed to cut two 16-to-18-inch-diameter holes for the cameras, which were to be mounted in the lower aft fuselage bay and would be electrically operated.

The other theories behind her disappearance are:

1.            Earhart Returned to the U.S. Under a New Name

2.            Stranded Earhart Died on Nikumaroro