This Day in br History: Amelia br Earhart Disappears July 2, 1937 The famous American br aviator was attempting to br fly around the world with br navigator Frederick Noonan. They were reported br missing near the tiny br Howland Islandbr in the Pacific Ocean. Earhart had gained fame as br the first woman to conduct a br solo trans-Atlantic flight and a br solo, non-stop flight across the U.S. Just before going missing, br Earhart breifly communicated br with Coast Guard ship Itasca br that she was low on fuel. No trace of the br Lockhead plane she was br flying or of Earhart or br Noonan has ever been found. Numerous conspiracy br theories explaining Earhart's br disappearance have br circulated for decades.