On June 1, 1937, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, departed from Miami and began the 29,000-mile journey. By June 29, when they landed in Lae, New Guinea, all but 7,000 miles of the planned route had been completed. The final radio transmission came through on July 2, 1937: "We are running north and south." Earhart and Noonan were never heard from again.
A rescue attempt commenced immediately and became what was then the most extensive air and sea search in naval history. On July 19, 1937, after spending $4 million and scouring 250,000 square miles of ocean, the U.S. government called off the operation. Earhart is seen here in this undated file photo.