1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Gradios How Stuff Works. Hello, and 5 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: welcome to the show. My name is Nuel, and our 6 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: compatriot Matt is on adventures but will be returning soon. 7 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:34,400 Speaker 1: They called me Ben. We are joined with our super 8 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: producer Paul Mission controlled decond. Most importantly, you are you. 9 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 1: You are here, and that makes this stuff they don't 10 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,959 Speaker 1: want you to know now. No, you just got off 11 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 1: a plane, is that correct? I did, and I got 12 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: the plane cried, and I hope I don't pass it 13 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: on to you in this sort of fuselage esque environment 14 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: that we're currently inhabiting. That's fine with me, honestly. When 15 00:00:57,160 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: I have a little bit of the crid or a 16 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: head cold, I love of writing. It's I don't know 17 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: it does it does great stuff for creativity. Maybe it's 18 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,080 Speaker 1: because they don't feel like going outside and doing things. 19 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: Also true, man, also true? Also true? What's uh? You 20 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,000 Speaker 1: and I have been on a lot of planes, as 21 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: have you Paul, and has have many people listening to 22 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: this show today and this is a question for everyone 23 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,400 Speaker 1: to think about you and I can take a Sabbat 24 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: answer in this too. Right now, if you'd like, no, 25 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: what is the craziest flight you've ever had or what's 26 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: the longest? Are you a person who's terrified of flying? 27 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: I would say you're not. I'm not. Um, I haven't 28 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: been on any super long flights in a while. But 29 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: I think I maybe mentioned this on on our other show, 30 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,760 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History, when we talked about luxury airlines and why 31 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:45,040 Speaker 1: they don't really exist anymore. Check that one out. But uh, 32 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: there was one time where and this is gonna be 33 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: this makes me sound such a tool, but I'm gonna 34 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: say it anyway. In the quick version, there was one 35 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: time where I'm used taking Delta where they have USB 36 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: chargers and screens on the back of the chairs in 37 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: front of you, And I took a Southwest flight for 38 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: the first time and didn't have like a power break 39 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: for my phone and I was expecting to, you know, 40 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: have a USB and didn't have one, and my phone 41 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: died and I had to be alone with my thoughts 42 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: for the entire flight. It was terrifying, especially if you 43 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: were It's so strange how quickly things become normalized. And 44 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: if you were expecting something, not to crib too hard 45 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: from our earlier episode on ridiculous history. But if you're 46 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: expecting something alsodden, it's taken away. It's tough to recover 47 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 1: from that. It's it's um it's in a strange way. 48 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: It's similar to having two very different beverages next to 49 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 1: your plates when you're eating and then expecting you're going to, 50 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 1: I don't know, drink water, but you accidentally pick up 51 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: the juice or the milk and your mouth goes, what why? 52 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: Or the kerosene or the kerosene. The kerosene very popular 53 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: beverage here in Atlanta. It's strange that there are millions 54 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: of people frankly terrified of flying, especially when you consider 55 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: that statistically you are much much much more likely to 56 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: get into an automobile act than ever to be involved 57 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: in a plane crash. But whether you love flying, whether 58 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: you hate those vast stretches of sky, sun and cloud, 59 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,119 Speaker 1: whether you've been on a plane, uh you know, three 60 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:16,480 Speaker 1: times a week for most of your life, or whether 61 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: you've never been on a plane or haven't yet, you 62 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: have it at least some inkling of the story of 63 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: one Amelia Earhart and this is the topic of our 64 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: episode today. So here are the facts. Amelia Earhart was 65 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: born on July seven, and she was the daughter of 66 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: Amy and Edwin Earhart lived with her mother's parents until 67 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 1: she was twelve uh, and they were quite wealthy, so 68 00:03:43,280 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: she was afforded some some privilege, including um attending private school. 69 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: And then n nine, Amelia and her youngest sister moved 70 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: to Des Moines. Is that you pronounced the s? I 71 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: say Deine de Moine? You want to go with de Moines? 72 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: Iowa um, And that's where they were reunited with their 73 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: parents because their father went to work for a railroad 74 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: company and he moved there to join them and take 75 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: that that gig. Yeah, they moved him to a new position. 76 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: The the family continued to move around from St. Paul, Minnesota, 77 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 1: to Springfield, Illinois and so on. This was not a 78 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: happy home, you see. Edwin Earhart had been waging an 79 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: unsuccessful battle with alcoholism for the entirety of Amelia's life, 80 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: and this experience with parents who had substance abuse problems 81 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: gave air Heart a lifelong, abiding dislike of booze along 82 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: with the deep, deep desire for financial security and you 83 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: have to you know, you you can understand it when 84 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 1: you think of the disparity she encountered in her life. 85 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:55,799 Speaker 1: She had very wealthy maternal grandparents and then struggling immediate parents, 86 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: you know, so she saw both sides, the have and 87 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: the have nots of life. So in nineteen fourteen, Amy Earhart, 88 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: Amelia's mother, uh takes the kids, she leaves her husband, 89 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: and they go to Chicago. In Chicago, Amelia graduates from 90 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 1: the Hyde Park School in nineteen fifteen. Interesting historical side note. 91 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,679 Speaker 1: In the yearbook, she's described as a e the girl 92 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: in brown who walks alone. It's a dubious Uh what 93 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: do they call them? Yeah, honorific maybe a thing, honorifics 94 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 1: or a thing. But I think honorifics are closer to titles, right, 95 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: I think you might be right. Um, it's true, the 96 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: girl in brown who walks alone. That's intense. Actually yeah, 97 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: it's almost like a ninja wondering ninja kind of nickname. 98 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,919 Speaker 1: You now, unhappy intellectual, I mean high school Ben Bollan 99 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: would have been all about h getting her number, telegram address. 100 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: What did they do back then? Not clear? Not particular 101 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: Morse code right signal um No. But she went on 102 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,159 Speaker 1: to go to a place called the Ogant School, which 103 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: was a private high school. And this is interesting, I 104 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:08,840 Speaker 1: never really heard this. I guess it goes straight from 105 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:11,560 Speaker 1: high school to junior college, which I guess it's like 106 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,719 Speaker 1: the early year of college. Or is it more of 107 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: like a community college. Yeah, it's it feels like it's 108 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 1: either a community college or a prep school, you know, right, 109 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: because if it was a community community college sort of 110 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: as a as a sort of like a second like 111 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: not as prestigious. Right. It's a two year program. A 112 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,719 Speaker 1: lot of community colleges have a two year program. And 113 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: so sometimes people, for one reason or another will take 114 00:06:33,720 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 1: their prerequisites at a community college to your college and 115 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 1: then go for the latter half of their college career 116 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: at a more expensive institution. That makes sense, so um. 117 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: Then she went on to visit her sister Muriel, who 118 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: was living in Toronto, and that is where she saw 119 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,720 Speaker 1: someone who had returned from World War One and had 120 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 1: lost a limb in combat um an amputee. Yes. And 121 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:03,720 Speaker 1: this moves her. She immediately refuses to return to her 122 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:08,919 Speaker 1: junior college high school and instead becomes a volunteer nurse 123 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: in a veteran hospital. And then she also during her 124 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: time working as a volunteer nurse, she also becomes a 125 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: pacifist and this is something that she will keep for 126 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: as far as we know, the rest of her life. 127 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 1: Emphasis on as far as we know. So that's that's 128 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:32,680 Speaker 1: the early days of Amelia Earhart. But of course most 129 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: of us know her for her aviation career. That's right. 130 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: Another first for Amelia was in nineteen fifteen when she 131 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 1: saw her very first air show and and had the 132 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: opportunity to actually ride on an airplane. She seemed to 133 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: become passionate about things pretty quickly. She was very driven 134 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: and had a sense of what her mission was in life. 135 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: I think that's interesting part of her character. She knew 136 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: right away that she wanted to take flying lessons, so 137 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: she went to a place called Burt can His Airfield, 138 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: which was on Long Beach Boulevard in l A from 139 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: a woman with a lovely name, Netta Snooks. Yeah, yeah, 140 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: Netta's Snooks, which sounds like a made up name but 141 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: is very real. But again, as I think we've said before, 142 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: on the air all names are made up. At some 143 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: point on December fifte Amelia finally receives her license from 144 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:28,720 Speaker 1: the National Aeronautics Association or NAH. She was working part 145 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: time as a file clerk, as an office assistant, as 146 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: a photographer, as a truck driver, and she was pinching 147 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:38,839 Speaker 1: her penny. She was scrounging and saving, and she got 148 00:08:38,880 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: a little bit of help from her mother which enabled 149 00:08:42,640 --> 00:08:46,360 Speaker 1: Amelia Earhart to buy her own plane. Think about how 150 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: extraordinary that is. Okay, first of all, like a little 151 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: bit of scratch from her mother to buy a plane, right, 152 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: And we know a little bit about this plane, don't we. 153 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: We do know a little bit about it. It was 154 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: what was called a Kinner airster, just like the Kinner 155 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:08,440 Speaker 1: Airfield kinnra airster was two seats, single engine biplane. So 156 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: it wasn't you know, it was still a plane. It 157 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: would get you in the air. You can actually see 158 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: a photograph of Amelia Earhart and her instructor, net A 159 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:23,520 Speaker 1: Snook standing together by the by the airster. Oh yeah, 160 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: so it's like it looks almost like one of those 161 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: fighter type planes you would have seen in uh in 162 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,839 Speaker 1: World War One. Yeah, it's it's like a byplane, I 163 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:37,000 Speaker 1: guess exactly. Uh And she loved this plane, and she 164 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: was it was. It was such a tremendous moving moment 165 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: for her to be able to purchase her own plane. 166 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:45,319 Speaker 1: That's still a pipe dream for a lot of people 167 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:50,120 Speaker 1: here in twenty nineteen as we record this. However, flying, 168 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 1: as anybody with a pilot's license kena sure us, can 169 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: be a very expensive hobby. And she could afford to 170 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: buy the plane, but she could not afford to continue flying, 171 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:05,439 Speaker 1: you know, the maintenance fees, fuel, fuel, definitely, So eventually 172 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: she sold her plane and she bought an automobile. She 173 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: drove her mother to Boston, where her younger sister Muriel 174 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: was teaching school, and a little bit after that she 175 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: re enrolls in college. She goes to Columbia University in 176 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: New York City, but she doesn't have the scratch again 177 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:28,280 Speaker 1: to continue studies for more than one year. A little 178 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: bit dejected, she returns to Boston. She becomes a social worker, 179 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: she joins the National Aeronautics Association, and she's still in 180 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: her spare time when she can finds, uh finds opportunities 181 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:43,960 Speaker 1: to fly. So I wonder what she thinks she must 182 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: have just like taken a class or like you know, 183 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,720 Speaker 1: rented one for the afternoon or I guess, so, yeah, 184 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: that feels like a big trust fall. Really rent my plane, 185 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:56,440 Speaker 1: rent my plane exactly. So then in nineteen ear Heart 186 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: gets a pretty incredible opportunity. Um. You guys remember Charles W. E. 187 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 1: Charles Lindbergh Um, who became the first person, obviously a man, 188 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 1: to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean back in so 189 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:15,680 Speaker 1: this guy named George Palmer Putnam um was the editor 190 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: of a book about Charles Lindbergh's voyage and decided to 191 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 1: kind of drum up some pr with a a sort 192 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: of a stunt that he would have who have seen 193 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 1: it as a stunt of the time. It's like, hey, 194 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: let's let's lets let's put a lady on a plane. 195 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:30,959 Speaker 1: You know, we'll make a make a lady do the 196 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,679 Speaker 1: same flight. Because that that's crazy, that could never happen. 197 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 1: Imagine that. Imagine that put a dame up in a 198 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: biplane was gracious. Yeah, the the uproar must have been marked. 199 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:45,319 Speaker 1: So he dubs her lady Lyndy because of yeah, it's 200 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: it's just a little bit on the nose and kind 201 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: of a little misogynistic to say, to say the least 202 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 1: Um and decides to make her kind of the star 203 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:54,679 Speaker 1: of the show. So Um puts her on a plane 204 00:11:54,720 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: with a pilot by the name of William Stoltz and 205 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: a mechanic by the name of Lewis Gordon Um, and 206 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 1: she crossed the Atlantic from Newfoundland to Wales on June 207 00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: eighteenth through nineteenth of nineteen Um. But she wasn't flying 208 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,840 Speaker 1: the plane. Yeah, and this really bothered her. She never 209 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:16,960 Speaker 1: once touched the controls of the plane and afterward described 210 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: herself as little more than a quote sack of potatoes. Still, 211 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,440 Speaker 1: she became world renowned as the first woman to fly 212 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:31,920 Speaker 1: the Atlantic. George Putnam clearly was capitalizing on this, this 213 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 1: marketing opportunity. He became Amelia Earhart's manager and later her 214 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,559 Speaker 1: husband when they married in nineteen thirty one. So here's 215 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: what he did as her manager. He arranged all of 216 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:47,560 Speaker 1: her flying engagements in step with this exhaustive series of 217 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: lecture tours, like she would lecture for twenty nine days 218 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: out of thirty one, like in a row. Yeah. And 219 00:12:56,800 --> 00:13:01,400 Speaker 1: eventually she grew irritated because, as she said, you know, 220 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:04,800 Speaker 1: I'm getting I'm reading the press here and people are 221 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 1: saying that I am not an actual pilot, that more 222 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 1: or less a puppet that my husband created for public 223 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,600 Speaker 1: relations purposes. So I am going to prove to people 224 00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:19,080 Speaker 1: that I am a the real deal, a genuine aviator. 225 00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: And this leads her to pilot a Lockheed Electra from Newfoundland, Canada, 226 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: all the way to Ireland. This is impressive because Lockheed 227 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: Electra is a tiny, tiny, tiny play it's a single engine. 228 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:35,199 Speaker 1: It's true and less. You think you've made a mistake 229 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,880 Speaker 1: and you're actually listening to an episode of ridiculous History, 230 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:39,440 Speaker 1: because that's sort of how it sounds with just the 231 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,000 Speaker 1: two of us doing a topic like this. I actually 232 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:44,320 Speaker 1: kind of forgot myself for a second that what show 233 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,600 Speaker 1: we're doing? Um, but we're getting there, guys. There's a 234 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: twist comment, I promise, yes there is. On May one two, 235 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,240 Speaker 1: five years after Lindbergh makes his solo flight, Amelia Earhart 236 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: becomes the first woman to fly across the Atlantic solo, 237 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: and for the next five years she is a champion 238 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:08,960 Speaker 1: of women's rights as well as commercial aviation. She sets 239 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:13,199 Speaker 1: numerous world records, she gets accolades and awards from across 240 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:20,120 Speaker 1: the planet, and she decides eventually that she will circumnavigate 241 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:23,400 Speaker 1: the globe that she will fly around the world, And 242 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 1: after a brief word with our sponsors, we'll walk through 243 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: the infamous last voyage of Amelia Earhart. On July two seven, 244 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: just twenty two days before her birthday, Amelia Earhart and 245 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:51,560 Speaker 1: her navigator friend Fred Noonan vanished, partially through their attempt 246 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 1: at servant circumnavigating the globe. Um they vanished, we know this. 247 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: They vanaged somewhere between Lay, New Guinea and Howland Island, 248 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: and the Navy of the U. S. Navy searched Um, 249 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:08,560 Speaker 1: the largest swath they'd ever searched for a missing person 250 00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: and history at that point, and they found neither plane 251 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: nor crew. Then, on January of nineteen thirty nine, Amelia 252 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: Earhart was declared legally dead after being missing for eighteen months. 253 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 1: So what happened? Here's where it gets crazy. Theories on 254 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 1: the disappearance of Amelia Earhart have proliferated for almost a 255 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:39,160 Speaker 1: century now. The official report concluded that Earhart and Noonan 256 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 1: were unable to land on their you know there planned 257 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 1: destination of Howland Island, and that while trying to find 258 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: this destination they ran out of fuel. They crashed into 259 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:54,440 Speaker 1: the water and sank. But of course that sort of 260 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:59,280 Speaker 1: explanation did very little to quell suspicion, especially because there 261 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 1: were no roomain means, a plane nor person to be found. 262 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 1: There are a couple of different theories that run counter 263 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: to the official narrative. One theory suggests that this is 264 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: the weirdest one, that Amelia Earhart actually didn't die. She's 265 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,640 Speaker 1: not only survived, but she returned to the US. She 266 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 1: changed her name to Irene Bolom b O l A 267 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: M and lived a long, long life and obscurity. There 268 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: are actually some books written about this. But why To 269 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:33,360 Speaker 1: one hand, it's strange, she unhappy and I want to 270 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 1: do what a weird name? To change her name to 271 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:37,800 Speaker 1: blem No one suspects them right now, I guess not right, 272 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:40,720 Speaker 1: that's true. It's very clear. I don't know, man, are you? 273 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: Are you potentially a missing aviator? No relation to feel 274 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 1: like how I didn't really answer your question that you know. 275 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: I love it when you do that. Actually, it's one 276 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: of my favorite things in the whole world. Um So 277 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:59,160 Speaker 1: in a book by Joe Class from the sies, I'm 278 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 1: not quite sure exactly what came out called Amelia Earhart 279 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 1: lives Um. This gentleman makes the case that Earhart was 280 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:10,479 Speaker 1: in fact captured Um and then taken to Saipan and 281 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 1: then to Tokyo, where she was a prisoner of the 282 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:20,920 Speaker 1: Imperial Palace until nine. The theory argues that Earhart's Secret 283 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: was used as a bargaining ship after the war to 284 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,160 Speaker 1: allow the Japanese Emperor to remain in power. What secret 285 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:31,880 Speaker 1: has this been? The secret would be that they were 286 00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:35,680 Speaker 1: able that the Japanese government was using air Heart as 287 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:40,360 Speaker 1: leverage to preserve the emperor's standing in the community post 288 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:44,320 Speaker 1: World War Two. The idea here being that there was 289 00:17:44,600 --> 00:17:47,560 Speaker 1: a what's that term so popular nowadays, a bit of 290 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 1: a quid pro quo? Oh, yes, clarius, a bit of 291 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 1: a quick pro quo, and that, uh, you know, if 292 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: if the Allies allowed the emperor to retain the position 293 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: of the royal family, then air Heart would be returned 294 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:04,880 Speaker 1: to the US. Of course, that doesn't explain the name change, right, 295 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,480 Speaker 1: So bracket that we'll get back to that one. There's 296 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:11,400 Speaker 1: another much more popular theory that we wanted to share 297 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: with you today. That's right. Another widely held belief is 298 00:18:14,119 --> 00:18:17,199 Speaker 1: that air Heart and noon In actually did touchdown on 299 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:21,880 Speaker 1: a remote South Pacific island called Nico Maro Role. Okay 300 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: there in I thought he did great. I'm not a 301 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: native speaker and I'm not either, but we always try 302 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: to do our best. Um and this at the time 303 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:33,080 Speaker 1: of their disappearance would have been uninhabited and was known 304 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 1: as Gardener Island. Um The Air Heart Project which is 305 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 1: a division of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery 306 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: or TIGER h I G h A R. I still 307 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,520 Speaker 1: think it's pronounced Tiger and it's an organization dedicated to 308 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:53,399 Speaker 1: investigating this hypothesis. Um SO Tiger has been investigating the 309 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: island since n and they've collected a ton of intriguing 310 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: things related to the case. Uh improv tools, remains of shoes, 311 00:19:02,760 --> 00:19:08,159 Speaker 1: and aircraft wreckage parts, which is consistent with air hearts, 312 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 1: plane and an electra exactly. They also discovered that a 313 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:17,880 Speaker 1: few years after Air Heart vanished, a British colonial officer 314 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 1: found the remains of a castaway on what was then 315 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: called Gardner Island, now known as Nico Mororo. The bones 316 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:29,520 Speaker 1: were sent to Fiji for analysis, but ultimately they were 317 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: misplaced and lost. Let's fast forward to the future during 318 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: Tigers Tigers expedition, Their team found some of the most 319 00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:46,040 Speaker 1: compelling clues they had ever seen. They were looking around 320 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: in a spot where they had previously identified what was 321 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:53,600 Speaker 1: likely the remains of a campfire, and they found three 322 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 1: pieces of a pocket knife. They found shells that have 323 00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 1: been cut open, glass, cosmetic jar fragments, there little bits 324 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:04,600 Speaker 1: of makeup, and bone fragments that they thought might be 325 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 1: from a human being. Um, let's let's put our skeptic 326 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 1: hats on because we're gonna talk a little bit about 327 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:17,120 Speaker 1: a History Channel documentary. Did you hear about this one? 328 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:19,879 Speaker 1: You know how a History Channel and a lot of 329 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:24,600 Speaker 1: the cable TV channels have those investigative shows and sometimes 330 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: their top notch, very well researched, very honest, and other 331 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: times they're a little too George Sucalos, you know, saying 332 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:38,240 Speaker 1: ancient aliens kind of stuff from Yeah, that's a frow 333 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: and more of just like a wild hair do. Let's 334 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:43,120 Speaker 1: say it's a main Yeah, he's a he's a nice guy. 335 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:45,880 Speaker 1: I've heard I like his I'd like his whole name. 336 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 1: In the hair situation, Sucalos fun to say, it's kind 337 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:52,320 Speaker 1: a nice mouth field. Yeah, No, it's true. Um and 338 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 1: this one was of that variety. Now was it good? Well, 339 00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,200 Speaker 1: this is the question we leave to you and your 340 00:20:59,240 --> 00:21:02,240 Speaker 1: fellow listen is right. The name of the documentary was 341 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 1: Amelia Earhart The Lost Evidence, and it dives head first 342 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,199 Speaker 1: into the theory that Noonan and Earhart were captured by 343 00:21:09,280 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 1: Japanese forces. In the documentary, there's a retired federal agent. 344 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: His name is Les Kenny and less. Kenny and his 345 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:20,359 Speaker 1: team searched through records at the National Archives to find 346 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:25,800 Speaker 1: any overlooked clues to the disappearance of Airheart. That's right. 347 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:28,399 Speaker 1: He and his team found a photograph that was stamped 348 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:33,640 Speaker 1: with official Office of Naval Intelligence marks that read Marshall Islands, 349 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:38,959 Speaker 1: jalluis Atoll, Jallowe Island, Jallowe harbor Um and the photo 350 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 1: a ship can be seen that's towing a barge with 351 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:44,920 Speaker 1: an airplane on the back of it, and then nearby 352 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:47,760 Speaker 1: on a dock you can see several people and Kenny 353 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 1: argues the photo had to have been taking a four 354 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 1: N because the US Air Forces conducted more than thirty 355 00:21:55,560 --> 00:22:00,720 Speaker 1: bombing runs on Jallowe in nineteen forty three and forty four. 356 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: He believes are through that looks like a range of time, 357 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:07,520 Speaker 1: so they did it quite frequently. He believes the plane 358 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,879 Speaker 1: on the barge is the Electra and that the two 359 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:12,400 Speaker 1: people are two of the people on the dock are 360 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:16,359 Speaker 1: air Heart and noon In. And then we have a 361 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,600 Speaker 1: way In also in the same documentary from Doug Karner 362 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: and Kent Gibson. These are forensic analysts, and Karner looked 363 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:29,400 Speaker 1: at it and said, Okay, no one has messed with 364 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:32,280 Speaker 1: this photo, meaning no one has altered it. It was 365 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 1: from that time and is legit. And then Kent Gibson 366 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:43,000 Speaker 1: specializes in recognizing faces, and he says it's very likely 367 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:45,680 Speaker 1: that the two individuals they point out on the dock 368 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: there are air Heart and noon And both of them 369 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,160 Speaker 1: also say that the ship in the photo is a 370 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:57,840 Speaker 1: Japanese vessel called the Koshu Maru, and they think this 371 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:00,399 Speaker 1: is the ship that took air Heart at noon In 372 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:05,159 Speaker 1: away after they survived that crash landing. If that is 373 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,359 Speaker 1: you believe the television show, that's where we have our 374 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:11,159 Speaker 1: skeptic hats on, you know what I mean, because we 375 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:16,359 Speaker 1: have to ask ourselves not in any way being derogatory 376 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:20,399 Speaker 1: toward the experts in the show, nor to the History 377 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,000 Speaker 1: Channel or what have you. We have to ask ourselves 378 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:27,240 Speaker 1: how much of this we believe? And it's it's a 379 00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:30,159 Speaker 1: good question. We have to ask ourselves how sincere or 380 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,199 Speaker 1: how disingenuous some of these outfits can be. You know, 381 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:36,120 Speaker 1: what was the name of the ship in question? The 382 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: Koshuo marooms had the same as the Kobayashiro Maru. That 383 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 1: is similar. I thought the same thing, but it is 384 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:48,160 Speaker 1: not the unsolvable scenario and Star Trek training, isn't it though? 385 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 1: An unsolvable scenario? I'm sorry, I get it. Yeah, Amelia 386 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: air heard version. We could call it like fat Maru 387 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:03,639 Speaker 1: the air heard Mauru, the old Coue mare. Remember bats Mauru? 388 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 1: That was always my favorite Sanrio character. Oh god, yeah, 389 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 1: barely bats Muru was it? Was he a penguin? I 390 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:12,919 Speaker 1: can't remember. I don't know. Let's see, this is not important. 391 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 1: We're taking a little sidetrack here. Pat's Marou Peng with 392 00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:22,800 Speaker 1: four little spiky hairs coincidence. Always looks like he's in 393 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: the just the worst mood. He's easy, he's a little 394 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,600 Speaker 1: cranky guy. He's you know, he's got dead eyes. He's 395 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:33,920 Speaker 1: staring at you like like he wants to murder you 396 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: double down on that. Yes, weren't you finger waged by 397 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:39,320 Speaker 1: the public? Was? I? I thought you were. I thought 398 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,879 Speaker 1: somebody reached out and said something about how that they 399 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:43,800 Speaker 1: didn't think it was very nice that you would Malayan 400 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:45,880 Speaker 1: Kristen Dunst his eyes in that, well, I don't think 401 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,160 Speaker 1: it's very nice that their anti dead eyes as someone 402 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:50,840 Speaker 1: who has a pair of dead eyes themselves. Funny story. Again, 403 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:52,560 Speaker 1: don't want to get derailed too much, but this is 404 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:56,800 Speaker 1: worth describing. Um buddy of ours. You we we we 405 00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 1: both know. His name is Connor Outlift. He's a comedian 406 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,960 Speaker 1: with the operations in the Brigade. He made a podcast 407 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 1: called Dead Eyes because he auditioned for a Band of Brothers. 408 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:12,400 Speaker 1: Remember that television sequel to Saving Private Ryan that Tom 409 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 1: Hanks has something to do with. He directed and he 410 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: was cast but then fired in the eleventh hour and 411 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: an agent made the horrible mistake of telling him. Mr 412 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:25,640 Speaker 1: Hanks says, he decided you have dead eyes, and now 413 00:25:25,680 --> 00:25:27,840 Speaker 1: you're gonna and that now. He made a podcast series 414 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:29,679 Speaker 1: about how he wants to like track down Tom Hanks 415 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:32,160 Speaker 1: and get to the bottom of this whole dead Eyes situation. 416 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: So you can check that out. It's on, it's on 417 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:37,640 Speaker 1: the interwebs. It's to be fair to Kirsten Dudds, who 418 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:43,760 Speaker 1: is I think a great actor. Uh, I'm particularly doubling 419 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:47,879 Speaker 1: down on her role in Interview with a Vampire, not 420 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 1: her fantastic turn in that series of cheerleader movies. Do 421 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:55,359 Speaker 1: you remember those? Was it Bring it On? Bring it On? 422 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:58,679 Speaker 1: Bring it On? It was great. Stomp the Yard, now 423 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 1: that that was That was another one, right, it was 424 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:03,080 Speaker 1: more of a stomp movie. It was in that same 425 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:06,440 Speaker 1: time time. There were a lot of uh, what is 426 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: it bringing on? So she just said, no, there's another 427 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: one though. You got served. That's right where it's like 428 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:14,360 Speaker 1: I'm gonna dance up on you remember South Park made 429 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:16,159 Speaker 1: fund of that. It's so funny. Then I was just 430 00:26:16,200 --> 00:26:19,399 Speaker 1: briefly scrolling through Instagram and our friends over on ladylike 431 00:26:20,119 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: posted today this maybe it's gonna be pressing it for 432 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 1: the story. A headline from back in these days. Amelia 433 00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:30,879 Speaker 1: Earhart weds G. P. Putnam, but Atlantic Flyer will remain 434 00:26:31,119 --> 00:26:35,440 Speaker 1: miss air Heart for business purposes and writing exactly. Yeah, 435 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,720 Speaker 1: this was this was a huge, huge deal. This is 436 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 1: one of the most famous people on the planet. No smoke, 437 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 1: no hyperbole. So it's it's no wonder that there was 438 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:52,160 Speaker 1: such an extensive, expensive search for these missing aviators, and 439 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 1: it's also no wonder that the media became obsessed with it. 440 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:01,600 Speaker 1: It's correct, it's absolutely correct to be particle of the 441 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,880 Speaker 1: television show. Again, we're not saying it's not true. We're 442 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 1: not saying it's manipulative. We're just saying, be aware of 443 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:11,639 Speaker 1: be aware of the motives behind some of those sorts 444 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:15,919 Speaker 1: of programs. Anyhow, there are other things that add tantalizing 445 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,359 Speaker 1: bits to the cauldron of conspiracy here. One is that 446 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,440 Speaker 1: a number of the residents of Marshall Islands claimed they 447 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:26,879 Speaker 1: witnessed the aviator's land there, and the Marshall Islands issued 448 00:27:26,920 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 1: stamps commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the air Heart flight, 449 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 1: and the stamps show air Hearts plane crash landing at 450 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:40,640 Speaker 1: milly A Toll and the recovery of that plane by 451 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: the Koshu Maru. This leads to way quiet. Okay, so 452 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:46,320 Speaker 1: this is a lot of fun as a thought exercise 453 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: to say, what if the people on the plane survived 454 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:53,639 Speaker 1: the plane crash just difficult thing to do, And what 455 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: if Japanese forces took them captive. The big question is 456 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:03,120 Speaker 1: why on Earth would they take her captive. We'll tell 457 00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:13,919 Speaker 1: you after a word from our sponsors, and we're back. 458 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,439 Speaker 1: So people who believe this theory don't believe that the 459 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:23,160 Speaker 1: Japanese forces were just you know, randomly capturing people for funzies. 460 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: And they don't think that they captured air Hearts specifically 461 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 1: because she was a celebrity. No. You see, people who 462 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: believe in this UH post crash survival abduction scenario also 463 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:41,360 Speaker 1: believed that Amelia Earhart was a spy was working as 464 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:45,440 Speaker 1: a secret agent for Uncle Sam. Partially this is based 465 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 1: on the fact that she did have a documented close 466 00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 1: with friendship with Franklin Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt. 467 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:55,960 Speaker 1: And folks who believe this theory tend to suggest that 468 00:28:56,000 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: the plane crashed after the pilots veered off course in 469 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: order to UH pursue a spying mission over japan occupied 470 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: islands in the Pacific, right. And the thing about that 471 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: is it feels plausible because they're in the right place. 472 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 1: They have a great cover, you know what I mean, 473 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,560 Speaker 1: They can always fly over smilings and then just say 474 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 1: that they got lost right, and this is this is 475 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:31,520 Speaker 1: fascinating to me because we have seen accusations similar to 476 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,480 Speaker 1: this kind of thing happened before in the world of espionage. 477 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, a few years back, there 478 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:43,280 Speaker 1: were three uh three Western students arrested in Iran because 479 00:29:43,280 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 1: they had apparently crossed over the border. They were arrested 480 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:48,560 Speaker 1: as spies. They were all in their early twenties and 481 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: they're ostensibly they were just hikers with a very bad 482 00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:57,240 Speaker 1: sense of direction. And that story kind of disappeared from 483 00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: the news, but it is it is an excellent cover story. 484 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:04,200 Speaker 1: Just say, well, whoops, we were you know, we were 485 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:06,200 Speaker 1: in the air for so long. We just got a 486 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:08,840 Speaker 1: wool mix up. Yeah, it doesn't really quite add up. 487 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: It's a little yeah. It's one of those things where 488 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:14,680 Speaker 1: you kind of just sucking air between your teeth and 489 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 1: go right, maybe my teeth are cold sensitive. I can't 490 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:20,640 Speaker 1: suck air between my teeth like, oh man, I know 491 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 1: it hurts me right to the core of my root. 492 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: Well probably the yeah, the root of your dental roots. 493 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,520 Speaker 1: It probably. It probably makes you seem like a nicer 494 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 1: person because you don't have that expression in your non 495 00:30:32,840 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 1: verbal vocabulary. I do this though, suck my teeth. Yeah, yeah, 496 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 1: I remember a few years back one of my friend 497 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: groups literally banned me for suspended me for a while 498 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: from saying tut tut. That's very tight, man. And then 499 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: I just they're describing things. It's tout. Just one tut 500 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 1: is is a little less egregious, I would, I would argue, yeah, yeah, well, 501 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:59,520 Speaker 1: also it's a it's a little more dismissive. It's callab something. 502 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:02,640 Speaker 1: Tout means you don't have time for both touts. Oh dang, 503 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:07,040 Speaker 1: you're right because to scolding, but tut is almost like, yeah, 504 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: you're a real sucker. I don't even have time for 505 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:10,800 Speaker 1: the second time for you. And I've actually been able 506 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: to propagate that way. That's weird. I use it. Everybody 507 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:16,440 Speaker 1: knows what we mean when we say it, and every 508 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: time I just once, you know, then every time I 509 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,360 Speaker 1: use it under my breath, I give you credit. Thank 510 00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 1: you very well. That's that must be an interesting conversation 511 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,880 Speaker 1: for people. And this so this is strange though it's 512 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:34,040 Speaker 1: it's plausible, No, it's possible. It is plausible that spycraft 513 00:31:34,040 --> 00:31:36,200 Speaker 1: will be conducted that way, but it's a little bit 514 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 1: of a leap to say it was definitely air Heart. 515 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:42,400 Speaker 1: The story, however, does not end there. We mentioned those, uh, 516 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,800 Speaker 1: the British forces that found those thirteen bones, including a 517 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 1: skull on the island. They sent a telegram after the discovery. 518 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:52,440 Speaker 1: That's back in the forties and they said it was 519 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:55,920 Speaker 1: possibly the skull of Amelia Earhart, but doctors who examined 520 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:57,960 Speaker 1: it at the time said it belonged to a short 521 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 1: European male. Even now some people disagree with this assessment. 522 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:07,160 Speaker 1: But here's the question. If the thirteen bones they found 523 00:32:07,280 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 1: did in fact belong to Amelia Earhart, what happened to 524 00:32:10,720 --> 00:32:14,320 Speaker 1: all the other bones in a human skeleton? Where did 525 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,280 Speaker 1: they go? There's a weird theory. It's that giant coconut 526 00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:24,120 Speaker 1: crabs consumed the flesh and carried away the bones. And 527 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: coconut crabs actually do that kind of thing. Have you 528 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 1: seen a coconut crab? Did we not talk about them 529 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 1: in the Cryptid sequel episode? And they were mistaken because 530 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 1: they're so bonkers looking, they're gigantic. First of all, these 531 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:42,000 Speaker 1: creatures are crazy looking. Yeah, we again, I forgive us 532 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,720 Speaker 1: if this is redundant, but um, they look like something 533 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 1: of like a face hugger, uh meets a lobster meets 534 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:53,600 Speaker 1: a crayfish meets a crab um and they're they're heavily 535 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 1: armored and the limbs are all kinds of cuthoul who ask, 536 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:00,920 Speaker 1: And they can crack coconuts. They just wrapped their weird 537 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:04,200 Speaker 1: you know, kitanous arms, what do you call them limbs 538 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:06,240 Speaker 1: around these coconuts and they can crack them right open, 539 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:08,239 Speaker 1: and as we all know, that's a it's a hell 540 00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:15,600 Speaker 1: of a job. Yeah, absolutely this. They look like the 541 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:18,120 Speaker 1: hybrid of a lobster and crab that also took a 542 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: lot of steroids. They look like the Arthur pod that's 543 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:23,680 Speaker 1: been juicing. And what we found is that they are 544 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 1: capable of moving bones, so they could have taken those 545 00:33:29,320 --> 00:33:33,640 Speaker 1: other one three bones in the human skeleton and moved 546 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: it around. But at this point we have to pause 547 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:42,080 Speaker 1: and ask ourselves what is the most likely sequence of 548 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:47,480 Speaker 1: events here? Well, remember the Amelia Earhart lives guy Class. 549 00:33:47,960 --> 00:33:51,480 Speaker 1: It turns out there is a real Irene Bolom and 550 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:55,320 Speaker 1: she was super not cool with being accused of being 551 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 1: Amelia Earhart. She sued Class as publishers for one point 552 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:03,280 Speaker 1: five million dollars and said, I'm not Amelia Earhart. I've 553 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:07,440 Speaker 1: got pictures from of myself from the thirties that prove it. 554 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 1: Stop bugging me and pull this book from publication. She 555 00:34:11,160 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: holding up newspapers of the day. That's I mean, come on, 556 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:15,360 Speaker 1: that's the only thing that's gonna take to convince me. 557 00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 1: You gotta hold up a newspaper. That's the only thing 558 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,880 Speaker 1: that checks out. The only thing we have another. We 559 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:26,160 Speaker 1: have another series of developments here. Dr Aaron Kimberley, the 560 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,160 Speaker 1: researcher at the University of South Florida, was recently asked 561 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:32,600 Speaker 1: to examine some of those bones that have been rediscovered 562 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:36,719 Speaker 1: at a museum on this island, Nico Mororo, to see 563 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:41,400 Speaker 1: if they might be Airheart's actual bones, because, as we 564 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:43,840 Speaker 1: said before, they had been examined in the past, but 565 00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:48,880 Speaker 1: they mysteriously disappeared in Fiji, and now experts are thinking 566 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:51,360 Speaker 1: the bones have been found again at a museum and 567 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:56,120 Speaker 1: cultural center in Kiabatti. The bones were stored in this 568 00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,560 Speaker 1: large box with their several sets of different remains that 569 00:34:59,680 --> 00:35:03,040 Speaker 1: all stored together. One set was female and matched ear 570 00:35:03,160 --> 00:35:07,279 Speaker 1: Hearts rough description as we record now just this year, 571 00:35:07,400 --> 00:35:10,799 Speaker 1: just just a little while ago, these bones were sent 572 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:14,239 Speaker 1: for DNA testing, and the plan is to compare the 573 00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 1: DNA from the bones against the DNA of air hearts 574 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:22,319 Speaker 1: one living niece. So while the mystery remains for now, 575 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:25,759 Speaker 1: we're closer to a solid answer than we've ever been before. Wait, 576 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:29,000 Speaker 1: so this is ongoing, This is like the tests are 577 00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:33,200 Speaker 1: in the mail. Yeah, like October of that's pretty cool. 578 00:35:33,239 --> 00:35:35,560 Speaker 1: When are we gonna hear We don't know, you know, 579 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:40,760 Speaker 1: it's weird because we we get these uh close calls, 580 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:44,879 Speaker 1: these tantalizing brushes with answers in DNA cases all the time, 581 00:35:45,200 --> 00:35:49,719 Speaker 1: Like there was one involving the Zodiac Killer that was 582 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:52,200 Speaker 1: you know, the team we worked very closely with. It 583 00:35:52,239 --> 00:35:55,040 Speaker 1: does the Monster Zodiac series. We're really hoping it was 584 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:56,640 Speaker 1: going to be a big scoop at the end of 585 00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:58,319 Speaker 1: the of the series and it did not pan out. 586 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 1: If I'm not mistaken, Yeah, absolutely, or we're still waiting 587 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,040 Speaker 1: and this is another waiting game. That's where we'll leave 588 00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:08,000 Speaker 1: it today. But we want to hear from you. This 589 00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,560 Speaker 1: concludes our episode, but not our show. Let us know 590 00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:14,600 Speaker 1: what you think happened to Amelia Earhart. Do you think 591 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:18,520 Speaker 1: that there's enough evidence to prove that either she or 592 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,160 Speaker 1: noon In or both of them survived for a time 593 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,160 Speaker 1: after the plane crash. Do you think it's just a 594 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:28,760 Speaker 1: case where humanity likes a good story and a good mystery. 595 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:31,040 Speaker 1: What do you think the DNA will find? Were they 596 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:34,800 Speaker 1: secret lovers? Where they secret lovers? Were they secret spies? 597 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:36,759 Speaker 1: Also a question? Let us know. You can find us 598 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:38,799 Speaker 1: on Facebook. You can find us on Instagram. You can 599 00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:42,319 Speaker 1: find us on Twitter where we are conspiracy Stuff, Conspiracy 600 00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:45,600 Speaker 1: Stuff Show, or some combination of the two. You can 601 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,920 Speaker 1: also find us as individuals on the internets. Yes, I 602 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:54,719 Speaker 1: am at how Now Noel Brown exclusively on Instagram, and 603 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:59,160 Speaker 1: I am on Instagram as at Ben Bolan Creative. I 604 00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:02,600 Speaker 1: know that handle is my Magna mopus. I'm also on 605 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:07,200 Speaker 1: Twitter as Ben Bowen h s W. If you say, guys, 606 00:37:07,239 --> 00:37:09,759 Speaker 1: I have something really important to tell you, but I 607 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:13,840 Speaker 1: don't like the social needs we of all people get it, 608 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 1: you can call us directly. That's right. We have a hotline, 609 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:20,160 Speaker 1: the hottest of lines where you can reach us at 610 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:24,439 Speaker 1: one eight three three s T d W y T 611 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:28,120 Speaker 1: k UM. You can call with a friend and speak 612 00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:31,879 Speaker 1: as one voice. That's in unison. I'd be impressed if 613 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 1: he did that, especially if you didn't write it down beforehand, 614 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:37,759 Speaker 1: just mind melt like we do. Yeah, the improv one 615 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:40,880 Speaker 1: voice game always a winter And let's be honest, you're 616 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,439 Speaker 1: going to be the first person to hear you will 617 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:47,319 Speaker 1: be Matt Frederick. So be kind because we like you 618 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:49,200 Speaker 1: hold him dear to our hearts. And now, I mean 619 00:37:49,239 --> 00:37:51,279 Speaker 1: he is a he's a real glutton for punishment with these. 620 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:53,759 Speaker 1: He has notifications turned on. So the moment that you 621 00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:56,640 Speaker 1: call in be at three in the morning our time, 622 00:37:56,920 --> 00:37:58,960 Speaker 1: he gets that doorbell sound effect that you hear at 623 00:37:58,960 --> 00:38:00,360 Speaker 1: the beginning of the show, or you might even be 624 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:02,480 Speaker 1: hearing now, uh, and that that wakes him up, and 625 00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:05,279 Speaker 1: he listens to your message, transcribes them, cuts them up 626 00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: into delectable bites, and then I'm not none of that's true. 627 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:09,880 Speaker 1: But he is the first line of defense when it 628 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:11,680 Speaker 1: comes to these. And whenever you hear us do one 629 00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:15,000 Speaker 1: of those calling episodes, typically it's because Matt has curated 630 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,120 Speaker 1: the best and brightest of your messages. So if you 631 00:38:18,120 --> 00:38:20,080 Speaker 1: want to be part of that crew, do us a 632 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:21,960 Speaker 1: solid and leave us a messages, do us another solid. 633 00:38:22,120 --> 00:38:24,600 Speaker 1: Read it's a kind review on your podcast platform of choice, 634 00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:28,000 Speaker 1: preferably Apple podcasts if you wish, we would very much 635 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:29,920 Speaker 1: appreciate him. And if you don't want to do any 636 00:38:29,960 --> 00:38:31,319 Speaker 1: of that, which we hope, we hope you will. But 637 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:32,360 Speaker 1: if you don't want to do any of you just 638 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:34,279 Speaker 1: want to do some of it. Uh, you can also 639 00:38:34,360 --> 00:38:36,000 Speaker 1: do one more thing, and that's send us a good 640 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,239 Speaker 1: old fashioned email where we are conspiracy at i heart 641 00:38:39,360 --> 00:39:00,400 Speaker 1: radio dot com stuff they don't want you to know, 642 00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 1: as a production of I heart Radio's How Stuff Works. 643 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,319 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the i 644 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:08,319 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 645 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.