A never-before-seen photo could rewrite history.
Eighty years ago, Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan vanished without a trace, but investigators believe a new photo shows that Earhart may have survived the 1937 crash, according to the History Channel.
The photo was found buried in the National Archives and the History Channel says it could hold the key to solving one of history’s greatest mysteries.
During her pioneering flight, 39-year-old Earhart disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.
According to the History Channel, most experts believe she likely ran out of fuel and crashed, but no trace of Earhart, Noonan or her plane was found.
New evidence from U.S. government archives suggests Earhart may have crashed in the Marshall Islands, and was captured by the Japanese military where she died while being held prisoner, the History Channel reports.
The newly-discovered photo reportedly shows Earhart sitting on a dock; a ship can be seen towing a barge with an airplane on the back.
Shawn Henry, a former executive assistant director of the FBI who worked with the History Channel on an upcoming documentary on Earhart, says “this absolutely changes history.”
“I think we proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she survived her flight and was held prisoner by the Japanese on the island of Saipan, where she eventually died,” Henry said.
The documentary airs Sunday night on the History Channel.
