U.S.TOP STORY

Museum posts 1938 island photos as Earhart hunt heats up

The nearly fifty images come from a 1938 New Zealand aerial survey of Nikumaroro, and anyone can now search them for traces of Earhart's plane; the crabs remain unimpressed.

On air: Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman on BBN This Morning
Published 6:32 AM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026

Photo: Angela K. Kepler (cleaned up by Rvdude007 ) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman on this story, from BBN This Morning at 6:32 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Guardian's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Nikumaroro — Photo: Angela K. Kepler (cleaned up by Rvdude007 ) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN

At a glance

First reported by The Guardian: “Museum releases historical photos of island where Amelia Earhart may have crashed”.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 6:32 AM ET on BBN This Morning, by Hank Ledger and Dale Bearman.
Topics: Amelia Earhart.
BBN covered this story before: Giant crabs complicate Amelia Earhart expedition on remote island (October 16).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The GuardianMuseum releases historical photos of island where Amelia Earhart may have crashed

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNearly fifty photos from a 1938 New Zealand aerial survey of Nikumaroro are now public, courtesy of a New Zealand air force museum, according to The Guardian.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThat's the island where Amelia Earhart is believed to have crash-landed, and the black-and-white images give amateur sleuths fresh ground to scour for any trace of her plane.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorEighty-eight years of searching, and the big break is a free photo album.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAnd the Purdue team on the ground still has those giant crabs to deal with.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorSo the crabs have the island, and the internet gets the pictures. I'd say the crabs are winning.

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