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Discovery+ will revisit the legendary life and mystery of Amelia Earhart with its latest documentary Undiscovered: Finding Amelia as a part of its expansive set of documentaries for the first half of 2022. This documentary, directed by David Carr, will focus on the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, the first female aviator to cross the Atlantic, in what remains one of the most intriguing mysteries in American history.
From producers Mark Kadin, Will Ehbrecht, Greg Spring, Michael Carra, and Mary Williams, the documentary will feature Earhart's attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world, her disappearance, and the subsequent search for the aviator that became the most expensive air and sea search at the time. The synopsis also states that new evidence may have pinpointed Earhart's final resting place, putting an end to multiple theories about her disappearance floating around since the early 1940s.
Continue reading to learn more about Amelia Earhart and what happened to her.
Who was Amelia Earhart?
Amelia Earhart is one of the most revered figures in US history and one of the most famed aviators, who has been the subject of multiple media forms in popular culture. Born in 1987, Earhart rose to fame as one of the leading female aviators in the world, after flying across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928. She was the first woman to do it.
This was one of the foremost achievements of the time for a woman at the receiving end of ample prejudice and discouragement all around her. She defied all odds by purchasing her first airplane and setting a record for female aviation by flying it to an altitude of 14,000 feet.
After her record-setting Atlantic flight, Earhart continued to break records and conventions, becoming the first person to fly solo across the Pacific from Honolulu to Oakland, California, and setting an altitude record for autogyros. She also flew from Mexico City to Newark. She was recognized all around the world by this time.
In 1937, she decided to set one final record with her 40th birthday approaching. She wanted to be the first woman to fly around the world. She once tried and damaged her airplane, but she was determined to set this record before resting. She said:
"I have a feeling that there is just about one more good flight left in my system, and I hope this trip is it."
Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan took off in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra plane from Miami and began their legendary journey.
What happened to Amelia Earhart?
After completing a 29,000-mile journey, the pair reached Lae, New Guinea, with only 7,000 miles remaining in their perilous journey that was made difficult by inaccurate maps and fluctuating weather. Their next stop was the challenging Howland Island, a tiny island in the Pacific ocean. Despite all the precautions, this journey did not end as expected for Earhart and Noonan.
They took off on July 2, 1937, and flew into overcast skies. Noonan's favorite navigation method felt inadequate and soon the pair were caught in a trap of overcast skies, radio transmission issues, and low fuel. As radio transmissions failed, a search party was set off immediately. It became the most extensive air and sea search, costing $4 million and covering 250,000 square miles of ocean by the next two weeks.
However, it yielded no result and the government called the efforts off. Despite many theories, the fate of Amelia Earhart was never truly discovered. Her disappearance has been subject to multiple conspiracy theories over the years. In the official report, the government announced that Earhart and Noonan had run out of fuel and crashed into the ocean.
The upcoming Discovery+ documentary mentions in its synopsis that new evidence may have finally solved the case of Earhart's disappearance. it reads:
"It is the greatest unsolved mystery in American history. Amelia Earhart disappears while attempting to be the first woman to fly around the world in 1937. Credible theories remain unproven, and decades of searching have turned up nothing. But now, a team has irrefutable evidence they know Amelia’s final resting place and are launching an expedition to finally bring her home."
Undiscovered: Finding Amelia will air on June 9, 2022.
