Amelia Earhart, the pioneering aviator who made history as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, vanished in 1937 during her ambitious round-the-world flight. Now, 88 years later, scientists believe they may have finally located her lost plane.

Born in Kansas in 1897, Earhart discovered her love for aviation after a short flight in 1920. She worked odd jobs to fund her flying lessons, bought her first plane in 1921, and quickly shattered records, including becoming the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the U.S.

Her final journey took off from Oakland, California, with navigator Fred Noonan. After crossing multiple continents, they departed Papua New Guinea on July 2, 1937, heading for Howland Island. Somewhere over the Pacific, radio contact was lost, and they disappeared without a trace.

For decades, theories ranged from crashing into the ocean to being captured or stranded on a remote island. But a team from Purdue University now claims new evidence points to Nikumaroro, a small island near Fiji, as the crash site.

Satellite imagery has revealed an object on the ocean floor that closely matches the size and shape of Earhart’s Lockheed Electra. Distress call bearings from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard also converge near the same location, adding weight to the discovery.

Additional clues include 1930s-era artifacts found on the island, bone analysis matching Earhart’s proportions, and photographic anomalies from months after her disappearance. The team has gathered over 30 satellite images spanning 15 years to support their case.

An expedition is now planned to examine and potentially recover the wreckage. If confirmed, this would finally solve one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century and bring closure to Earhart’s enduring legacy.