Could Amelia Earhart’s Bones Finally Be on Solid Ground?
Picture this: a dusty island in the South Pacific, a bunch of bones lying around, and a professor who thinks “These might belong to the legendary pilot Amelia Earhart, who vanished in 1937.
Who’s the Professor?
- Richard Jantz – a retired anthropology PhD from the University of Tennessee.
- He tapped into modern bone‑measurement tech and fired up a program called Fordisc to sort the bones by size, shape, and sex.
The Case of the Missing Aviatrix
Ah, 1937. 39‑year‑old Earhart and her co‑pilot Fred Noonan were on a daring round‑the‑world flight. The legend says they ran out of fuel and dropped their Lockheed Electra off Howland Island, a tiny speck somewhere between Australia and Hawaii.
“The most tantalizing mystery in aviation lore,” they say. Has anyone heard the rumors about the uninhabited Gardner Island—now Nikumaroro—in Kiribati? Maybe the outcome of a desert island survival story.
Early 1940s Findings
A 1940 expedition cargo‑carries a human skull, some limbs, a shoe sole, a sextant box, and an odd bottle of Benedictine. Unfortunately, by 1941 the bones go missing after Dr. David W. Hoodless clouds them as “stocky male”.
Jantz’s New Take
- He re‑checked seven bone measurements (four skull, three of tibia, humerus, radius).
- Using Fordisc, he compared them to Earhart’s known bone lengths from old photos and clothes.
- The result? 87 % similarity to Amelia, vs 1 % success field against 99 % of other folks.
Professor Jantz Says…
“Forensic anthropology back then was like a rough draft—lots of misinterpretations,” he noted. “But what we’re seeing here gives us a strong case that these bones are indeed hers.”
Bottom line? Until we spot another piece of bone that says otherwise, the Nikumaroro remains are likely Earhart’s.
The Wider Picture
- Published in Forensic Anthropology (University of Florida) this week.
- Teamwork? International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) was on board.
- Remember: Earhart’s “first solo trans‑Atlantic flight” in 1932 was only a prelude; she aimed for a world circumnavigation in 1937, but fate did a baffling disappearing act.
If you’re into mysteries, keep your eyes peeled—this island could still hold more clues. Or, at the very least, the bones are probably linked to the most famous missing aviator!
