Disappearing Acts

The news that someone has vanished without a trace can lead to gossip, police searches and tabloid headlines. It also can mean more fame in absentia than the missing person ever had when present. Here are some of the modern world's more famous Disappearing Acts.

AMELIA EARHART is possibly the 20th century's most famous disappearing act. The famous aviatrix took off from Oakland, California in May of 1937, intending to be the first person to pilot a plane around the world on an equatorial route. On July 2, on the final days of her flight, she and her navigator Fred Noonan were supposed to land at Howland Island in the South Pacific. They never arrived. They came close; the last transmission from Earhart was heard at 8:43 am local time. Despite an extensive search by the U.S. Navy, Earhart and her plane were never seen again.

[technorati tags: disappearing acts, missing person]