読んだら理解できる単語の数と使える単語の数は異なります。本シリーズでは2000語で書かれた物語を１日１話ご紹介します。理解するだけなら辞書を引かなければならないことはほとんどないと思います（TOEIC 600-700 レベル）。

解説は、原則として、使われた単語や表現を「使う」場合の留意点に絞ってあります。原本は「A History of Western Tragedies and Accidents（著者：Nina Wegner：IBCパブリッシング」

(2) Chernobyl

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster occurred in 1986. It is considered the worst nuclear-power accident in history. Chernobyl and the Fukushima Daiichi disaster of 2011 were the only two Level 7 (highest level) nuclear accidents in the world.
Chernobyl, a nuclear power plant, was located in Ukraine, near Belarus. The plant was going through a normal test of its systems on April 26, 1986, when things went terribly wrong. At 1:23 a.m. a sudden power surge at the plant caused nuclear reactor number four to explode. Workers immediately tried to shut down the plant, but the systems to close and contain the radioactive matter did not work. While fires broke out all over reactor number four, great amounts of radioactive matter were released into the air.
Local firefighters rushed to the scene within five minutes, and more arrived until the fires were all put out. They had to work quickly to make sure the fire did not spread to the other reactors. Although the fires were all out by about 6:30 a.m., the radioactive fire inside reactor number four continued to burn for about two weeks. There was nothing anyone could do to stop this.
Some of the firefighters who rushed to the power plant died either from the fire or from radiation sickness. Some said they did not know the fire was radioactive, while others said they knew but they rushed to the scene anyway.
It took more than 500,000 workers to clean up the Chernobyl accident and to contain its dangerous effects. However, the disaster still introduced so much radiation into the surrounding area that the radiation levels in Sweden, over 1,600 kilometers away, were dangerously high. The Soviet government had to move the entire population of 350, 400 people who lived in the city of Pripyat, where the plant was located, to a different city. Those people were never allowed to return home, and the entire city of Pripyat is still blocked off today.
The effects of the Chernobyl accident still continues. The Russian government says that only 31 people died as a direct result of the accident, but many people say the government did not report correct numbers. Ukraine alone reported 5,722 people who died or became sick after the accident. The accident continues to cause serious illness among populations living nearby today.



解説：タイプミスと思われる個所は原文を訂正しました。

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant（ここまでが冠詞＋名詞ですが、次のdisasterを修飾する形容詞の役目をしています）disaster（大惨事） occurred in 1986. It is considered the worst nuclear-power（原子力発電による電力） accident in history. Chernobyl and the Fukushima Daiichi disaster of 2011 were the only two Level 7 (highest level) nuclear accidents in the world.
Chernobyl, a nuclear power plant（原子力発電所）, was located in Ukraine（当時はソビエト連邦）, near Belarus. The plant was going through a normal test of its systems on April 26, 1986, when things went terribly wrong. At 1:23 a.m. a sudden power（電力） surge（急上昇） at the plant caused nuclear reactor（原子炉） number four to explode. Workers immediately tried to shut down the plant, but the systems to close and contain（封じ込める） the radioactive（放射能のある） matter（物質） did not work. While fires broke out all over reactor number four, great amounts of radioactive matter were released into the air.
Local firefighters rushed to the scene within five minutes, and more arrived until the fires were all put out. They had to work quickly to make sure the fire did not spread to the other reactors. Although the fires were all out by about 6:30 a.m., the radioactive fire inside reactor number four continued to burn for about two weeks. There was nothing anyone could do to stop this.
Some of the firefighters who rushed to the power plant died either from the fire or from radiation sickness. Some said they did not know the fire was radioactive, while others said they knew but they rushed to the scene anyway.
It took more than 500,000 workers to clean up the Chernobyl accident and to contain its dangerous effects（動産）. However, the disaster still introduced（持ち込んだ） so much radiation into the surrounding area that the radiation levels in Sweden, over 1,600 kilometers away, were dangerously high. The Soviet government had to move the entire population of 350, 400 people who lived in the city of Pripyat, where the plant was located, to a different city. Those people were never allowed to return home, and the entire city of Pripyat is still blocked off today.
The effects（影響） of the Chernobyl accident still continues. The Russian government says that only 31 people died as a direct result of the accident, but many people say the government did not report correct numbers. Ukraine alone reported 5,722 people who died or became sick after the accident. The accident continues to cause serious illness among populations（住民） living nearby today.


参考：事故時を含め、建設以降の正式名称はV・I・レーニン共産主義記念チェルノブイリ原子力発電所。1991年のソ連崩壊後、名称がチェルノブイリ原子力発電所と改称された。

以上で本シリーズは終了します。

読んだら理解できる単語の数と使える単語の数は異なります。本シリーズでは2000語で書かれた物語を１日１話ご紹介します。理解するだけなら辞書を引かなければならないことはほとんどないと思います（TOEIC 600-700 レベル）。

解説は、原則として、使われた単語や表現を「使う」場合の留意点に絞ってあります。原本は「A History of Western Tragedies and Accidents（著者：Nina Wegner：IBCパブリッシング」

(2) The Murder of John Lennon

Perhaps no other death of a rock’n’roll star has shocked or saddened the world more than the murder of John Lennon. He was considered more than just a musician – he was an artist, poet, and activist – and his death has been considered the loss of one of the world’s most creative minds at the time.
At the time of his death, John Lennon was living with his wife, Yoko Ono, at the now-famous The Dakota in New York City. On the day of December 8, 1980, the photographer Annie Liebowitz came to John and Yoko’s apartment at the Dakota. She took photos of the couple for Rolling Stone magazine. One of the photos she took that day would become one of the most famous photos of the couple: it showed a naked John holding and kissing Yoko, all dressed in black, as they lay on the ground.
Liebowitz left the apartment at around 3:30 p.m. John then gave what would be his very last interview, which was later played on the radio. After the interview, at about 5:00 p.m., John and Yoko left their apartment and headed to the Record Plant Studio to record a song together. As the couple walked outside to their car, a few people waiting outside the apartment gates asked for John’s autograph. This happened quite often, and John greeted the people as he usually did.
One of the people was a 25-year-old man from Honolulu, Hawaii, named Mark David Chapman. Without saying anything, he handed John a copy of Double Fantasy, John’s last record. John signed the record and gave it back, asking “Is this all you want?” Chapman smiled and nodded yes. After that, John and Yoko got into their car and drove off.
The couple returned to The Dakota at about 10:59 p.m. They wanted to say goodnight to their five-year-old son, Sean, before they headed out again for dinner.
John and Yoko got out of their car at The Dakota’s 72nd Street entrance. Yoko walked ahead of John and entered the apartment. John followed a little bit behind, and he noticed a man in the shadows. He walked on, and the man stepped forward.　　It was Chapman.　　He pointed a gun at John's back and fired times.
John managed to walk up five steps to the reception area and told the man at the desk. “I’m shot, I’m shot.” He was bleeding from his mouth. He fell to the floor. The man immediately called the police and looked to Jon’s wounds. Outside, the guard at the door shook the gun from Chapman’s hand and kicked the gun away. Chapman knew the police arrive shortly, so he took off his jacket and his hat to show he was not carrying any other guns. Then he sat down quietly on the street to wait for the police. In his hands he held a copy of the book, The Catcher in the Rye.
Two police teams arrived, and one team took Chapman away as the other team rushed John to the hospital. Although the doctors at Roosevelt Hospital tried all they could to help John, he was dead on arrival. John Lennon was declared death at 11:15 p.m. When the doctors gave Yoko the news, she fell to the ground and began to cry. In her state of shock, she had to be led away from the hospital by David Geffen, the president of Geffen Records.
The next day, Yoko made a public statement: “There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean”
Although there was no funeral, the world responded in a huge showing of grief. On December 14, 1980, millions of people around the world joined to observe 10 minutes of silence for John Lennon. Every radio station in New York City was silent for 10
Minutes. Chapman was sentenced to life in prison, where he still lives today.


解説：
Perhaps no other death of a rock’n’roll star has shocked or saddened the world more than the murder of John Lennon. He was considered more than just a musician – he was an artist, poet, and activist – and his death has been considered the loss of one of the world’s most creative minds（知性面から見た人） at the time.
At the time of his death, John Lennon was living with his wife, Yoko Ono, at the now-famous The Dakota（ダコタ・ハウス：高級集合住宅） in New York City. On the day of December 8, 1980, the photographer Annie Liebowitz came to John and Yoko’s apartment at the Dakota. She took photos of the couple for Rolling Stone（音楽や政治、大衆文化を扱うアメリカ合衆国の隔週発行の雑誌） magazine. One of the photos she took that day would become one of the most famous photos of the couple: it showed a naked John holding and kissing Yoko, all dressed in black, as they lay on the ground.
Liebowitz left the apartment（The Dakotaのこと） at around 3:30 p.m. John then gave what would be his very last interview, which was later played on the radio. After the interview, at about 5:00 p.m., John and Yoko left their apartment and headed to the Record Plant Studio to record a song together. As（when とほぼ同じ意味になりますが「同時性」を表します） the couple walked outside to their car, a few people waiting outside the apartment gates asked for John’s autograph（サイン）. This happened quite often, and John greeted the people as he usually did.
One of the people was a 25-year-old man from Honolulu, Hawaii, named Mark David Chapman. Without saying anything, he handed John a copy of（１冊の） Double Fantasy, John’s last record. John signed the record and gave it back, asking “Is this all you want?” Chapman smiled and nodded yes. After that, John and Yoko got into their car and drove off.
The couple returned to The Dakota at about 10:59 p.m. They wanted to say goodnight to their five-year-old son, Sean, before they headed out again for dinner.
John and Yoko got out of their car at The Dakota’s 72nd Street entrance（The Dakotaは72nd Streetと73rd Streetの両方に面している）. Yoko walked ahead of John and entered the apartment. John followed a little bit behind, and he noticed a man in the shadows. He walked on, and the man stepped forward. It was Chapman. He pointed a gun at John's back and fired five times.
John managed to walk up five steps to the reception area and told the man at the desk. “I’m shot, I’m shot.” He was bleeding from his mouth. He fell to the floor. The man immediately called the police and looked to（・・・の方を見た） Jon’s wounds. Outside, the guard at the door shook the gun from Chapman’s hand and kicked the gun away. Chapman knew the police arrive shortly, so he took off his jacket and his hat to show he was not carrying any other guns. Then he sat down quietly on the street to wait for the police. In his hands he held a copy of the book, The Catcher in the Rye.（Ｊ・Ｄ・サリンジャー著『ライ麦畑でつかまえて』）
Two police teams arrived, and one team took Chapman away as the other team rushed John to the hospital. Although the doctors at Roosevelt Hospital tried all they could to help John, he was dead on arrival. John Lennon was declared death at 11:15 p.m. When the doctors gave Yoko the news, she fell to the ground and began to cry. In her state of shock, she had to be led away from the hospital by David Geffen, the president of Geffen Records.
The next day, Yoko made a public statement: “There is no funeral for John. John loved and prayed for the human race. Please do the same for him. Love, Yoko and Sean”
Although there was no funeral, the world responded in a huge showing of grief. On December 14, 1980, millions of people around the world joined to observe（＜儀式など＞を行う） 10 minutes of silence for John Lennon. Every radio station in New York City was silent for 10 minutes. Chapman was sentenced to life in prison（終身刑を言い渡された）, where he still lives today.

参考：
何かゲームをしているところを思い浮かべるんだ。
何千という子供たちがいてね、辺りには誰もいないんだ。大人は誰一人いないんだよ。その僕以外はね。そして僕はすごく急な崖の端に立っているんだ。僕がしなきゃならないことは、子供たちが崖から落ちそうになると捕まえてやることなんだ。子供ってのは走っている時には前を見たりしないから、僕がどこからか出て行って捕まえてやらなきゃならないんだ。一日中僕はそれだけをしてる。僕はライ麦畑の捕らえ人になりたいんだ。
（Ｊ・Ｄ・サリンジャー著『ライ麦畑でつかまえて』より）

読んだら理解できる単語の数と使える単語の数は異なります。本シリーズでは2000語で書かれた物語を１日１話ご紹介します。理解するだけなら辞書を引かなければならないことはほとんどないと思います（TOEIC 600-700 レベル）。

解説は、原則として、使われた単語や表現を「使う」場合の留意点に絞ってあります。原本は「A History of Western Tragedies and Accidents（著者：Nina Wegner：IBCパブリッシング」

(19) Three Mile Island

The accident that occurred at the Three Mile Island Power Plant in Pennsylvania is famous for being the worst nuclear accident in the United States. But it is also famous for reportedly causing zero cases of cancer. In this sense, it was perhaps the cleanest nuclear disaster ever.
Everything was operating normally on March 28, 1979. Workers at the plant were going about their business as usual. But for reasons that are still unknown, a part of the plant that allowed water into the cooling tower stopped working at 4 a.m. With no water to cool the reactors, pressure and heat built up to dangerous levels. Radioactive materials were melting within the plant for several hours before workers realized there was a problem.
At 7 a.m., a plant worker declared a state of emergency at the plant. About thirty minutes later, a public state of emergency was declared to nearby cities. Workers were not sure how much radioactive matter was being released by the accident, and they worked quickly to reduce the heat in the plant. They got the cooling system working again, and the temperature in the reactor slowly came down. But the governor of Pennsylvania recommended that people living near the power plant leave the area. More than 140, 000 people left the area within a few days. However, 98 percent of these people returned home within a few weeks.
Although plant workers successfully got the accident under control within the next week, the event created a strong feeling of fear and opposition against nuclear power among the American people. Today, many people are against such power plants.


解説：
The accident that occurred at the Three Mile Island Power Plant（米では「発電所」の意） in Pennsylvania is famous for being the worst nuclear accident in the United States. But it is also famous for reportedly（伝えられるところによると） causing zero cases of cancer. In this sense, it was perhaps the cleanest nuclear disaster ever.
Everything was operating normally on March 28, 1979. Workers at the plant were going about（・・・に精を出す） their business as usual. But for reasons that are still unknown, a part of the plant that allowed water into the cooling tower stopped working at 4 a.m. With no water to cool the reactors（原子炉）, pressure and heat built up to dangerous levels. Radioactive materials were melting within the plant for several hours before workers realized there was a problem.
At 7 a.m., a plant worker declared a state of emergency at the plant. About thirty minutes later, a public state of emergency was declared to nearby cities. Workers were not sure how much radioactive matter was being released by the accident, and they worked quickly to reduce the heat in the plant. They got the cooling system working again, and the temperature in the reactor slowly came down. But the governor of Pennsylvania recommended that people living near the power plant leave（recommendの後のthat節の中の動詞は原形またはshould を伴います） the area. More than 140, 000 people left the area within a few days. However, 98 percent of these people returned home within a few weeks.
Although plant workers successfully got the accident under control within the next week, the event created a strong feeling of fear and opposition against nuclear power（原子力発電による電力） among the American people. Today, many people are against such power plants.

読んだら理解できる単語の数と使える単語の数は異なります。本シリーズでは2000語で書かれた物語を１日１話ご紹介します。理解するだけなら辞書を引かなければならないことはほとんどないと思います（TOEIC 600-700 レベル）。

解説は、原則として、使われた単語や表現を「使う」場合の留意点に絞ってあります。原本は「A History of Western Tragedies and Accidents（著者：Nina Wegner：IBCパブリッシング」

(2) Apollo 13

The story of Apollo 13 may be the world’s second-most famous space flight, topped only by man’s first walk on the moon. The Apollo Space Program was started by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Apollo 13 was the seventh manned flight in the Apollo Space Program, and its purpose was to be the third moon landing in the history of the world. However, things went terribly wrong.
Before Apollo 13 even left Earth, there were problems. Just one week before Apollo 13 was supposed to launch, one of the astronauts had to be replaced because he came into contact with German measles, an illness that could have affected his ability to fly. The final three-man team who would fly Apollo 13 was Jim Lovell, Jr., Swigert, Jr., and Fred Haise, Jr.
Apollo 13 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:13 p.m. on April 11, 1970. The first two days in space went smoothly, with only slight problems. However, after about 56 hours in space, an oxygen tank in the service module exploded, causing another oxygen tank to fail. This was just the first event in a chain of failures that almost cost the astronauts their lives.
Warning lights came on telling the astronauts that two of their three cells in the service module had failed. This was a major problem because all of the service module’s electricity came from these cells. Without oxygen or electricity the astronauts could not use or be in the command/service module --- they would have to move to an extra space on Apollo 13 called the lunar module. In addition, the ground control team would have to figure out a way for the astronauts to save air, water, and energy, as well as a way for them to get home immediately.
Ground control at the NASA office in Houston, Texas, worked around the clock to figure out how to get the astronauts safely home. Before they could give any instructions to the astronauts, however, they had to test each step to see if they would work in space. They sent instructions to Lovell, Swigert, and Haise to drink very little water, and to turn off all the heating systems to save power. But the astronauts also noticed that the carbon dioxide build-up inside Apollo 13 was starting to reach dangerous levels. Although the spaceship had special machines to remove carbon dioxide from the air, the square machines that were used in the command module would not fit the circle openings in the lunar module.
Using only the materials that the astronauts would have in the spaceship, ground control figured out a way to fit the square machines onto the circle openings. They sent instructions to the astronauts, and they were able to fix the carbon dioxide problem using just plastic bags, tape, and cardboard.
Finally, ground control and the astronauts had to do some very difficult math to figure out how Apollo 13, which was on a course to land on the moon, could turn around and come back to earth. As Apollo 13 went around the moon, the astronauts lined up a course using the position of the sun and were able to get on a course to return home. Finally, on April 17, 1970, Apollo 13 landed in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa. Lovell, Swigert, and Haise were not able to complete their mission to the moon, but they returned home safe.


解説：
The story of Apollo 13 may be the world’s second-most famous space flight, topped（「上回る」の意の過去分詞） only by man’s first walk on the moon. The Apollo Space Program was started by President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Apollo 13 was the seventh manned（人間を乗せた） flight in the Apollo Space Program, and its purpose was to be the third moon landing in the history of the world. However, things went terribly wrong.
Before Apollo 13 even left Earth, there were problems. Just one week before Apollo 13 was supposed to launch, one of the astronauts had to be replaced because he came into contact with German measles（風疹）, an illness that could have affected his ability to fly. The final three-man team who would fly Apollo 13 was Jim Lovell, Jr., Swigert, Jr., and Fred Haise, Jr.
Apollo 13 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:13 p.m. on April 11, 1970. The first two days in space went smoothly, with only slight problems. However, after about 56 hours in space, an oxygen tank in the service module exploded, causing another oxygen tank to fail. This was just the first event in a chain of failures that almost cost（・・・に・・・を支払わせた） the astronauts their lives.
Warning lights came on（ウオーニング・ライトがついた） telling the astronauts that two of their three cells in the service module had failed. This was a major problem because all of the service module’s electricity came from these cells. Without oxygen or electricity the astronauts could not use or be in the command/service module --- they would have to move to an extra space on Apollo 13 called the lunar module. In addition, the ground control team would have to figure out a way for the astronauts to save air, water, and energy, as well as a way for them to get home immediately.
Ground control at the NASA office in Houston, Texas, worked around the clock（やすみなくぶっ通しで） to figure out how to get the astronauts safely home. Before they could give any instructions to the astronauts, however, they had to test each step to see if they would work in space. They sent instructions to Lovell, Swigert, and Haise to drink very little water, and to turn off all the heating systems to save power. But the astronauts also noticed that the carbon dioxide（二酸化炭素の） build-up（蓄積） inside Apollo 13 was starting to reach dangerous levels. Although the spaceship had special machines to remove carbon dioxide from the air, the square machines that were used in the command module would not fit the circle openings in the lunar module.
Using only the materials that the astronauts would have in the spaceship, ground control figured out a way to fit the square machines onto the circle openings. They sent instructions to the astronauts, and they were able to fix the carbon dioxide problem using just plastic bags, tape, and cardboard（厚紙）.
Finally, ground control and the astronauts had to do some very difficult math to figure out how Apollo 13, which was on a course to land on the moon, could turn around（向きを変える） and come back to earth. As Apollo 13 went around the moon, the astronauts lined up（確保した）a course using the position of the sun and were able to get on a course to return home. Finally, on April 17, 1970, Apollo 13 landed in the Pacific Ocean near Samoa. Lovell, Swigert, and Haise were not able to complete their mission to the moon, but they returned home safe.

読んだら理解できる単語の数と使える単語の数は異なります。本シリーズでは2000語で書かれた物語を１日１話ご紹介します。理解するだけなら辞書を引かなければならないことはほとんどないと思います（TOEIC 600-700 レベル）。

解説は、原則として、使われた単語や表現を「使う」場合の留意点に絞ってあります。原本は「A History of Western Tragedies and Accidents（著者：Nina Wegner：IBCパブリッシング」

(17) Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight (2)

In 1936, Earhart began planning her most daring attempt of all: to fly around the world. Although it was not the first time that someone had attempted this, Earhart planned a path that was the longest ever attempted. She had a special airplane built with a large gas tank. She chose Captain Harry Manning and Fred Noonan to be her co-pilots.
The three-person team took its first attempt at flying around the world on March 17, 1937. Earhart flew out of California and landed in Hawaii. However, the plane was damaged in Hawaii and the rest of the flight had to be canceled for plane repairs.
Earhart made her second attempt soon after, on June 1, 1937. This time, only Noonan went with Earhart, and they flew out of Miami, Florida, and made stops in South America, Africa, and Asia. The pair arrived in Lae, New Guinea, on June 29, 1937. They had completed about 35,000 kilometers of travel, and only 11,000 kilometers left. The rest of the trip would be over the Pacific Ocean.
Earhart and Noonan left Lae at midnight on June 2, 1937, with plans to land next on Howland Island, a small, flat narrow island in the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Coast Guard ship Itasca was stationed at the island to help communicate with Earhart over radio for her landing.
At 7:42 a.m. on June 2, the Itasca received a radio message from Earhart saying, “We must be on you, but cannot see you – but gas is running low. Have been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at 1,000 feet.” Another radio message came in at 7:58 a.m., saying that Earhart could not hear the Itasca. She asked them to send voice signals. The Itasca tried sending voice signals as well as Morse code. Earhart radioed back saying she got these signals but that she couldn’t find the ship’s location. In Earhart’s last known message, she radioed the Itasca her location. She said she would radio again, but another message never came.
Over the next few hours, the Itasca tried over and over to reach Earhart, but there was no clear answer. Soon, there was a full-on search for Earhart and Noonan on and all around Howland Island. The U.S. Navy also helped with the search. Within the next week, there were searches of the nearby Phoenix Islands. The official search lasted almost three weeks and cost $4 million. But no sign of the two pilots or the airplane were found. Earhart and Noonan had simply disappeared.
After the official search ended, Earhart’s husband, GP Putnam, conducted his own searches. But, finally, after two years of searching, Amelia Earhart was declared dead on January 5, 1939. Although there are many guesses as to what happened to Amelia Earhart, today nobody knows. Searches for Earhart’s airplane in the Pacific Islands continue. In May 2013, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery announced they discovered a 32-foot long object near the Phoenix Islands that could possibly be Earhart’s plane.


解説：
In 1936, Earhart began planning her most daring（大胆な） attempt of all: to fly around the world. Although it was not the first time that someone had attempted this, Earhart planned a path that was the longest ever attempted. She had a special airplane built with a large gas tank. She chose Captain Harry Manning and Fred Noonan to be her co-pilots.
The three-person team took its first attempt at flying around the world on March 17, 1937. Earhart flew out of California and landed in Hawaii. However, the plane was damaged in Hawaii and the rest of the flight had to be canceled for plane repairs.
Earhart made her second attempt soon after, on June 1, 1937. This time, only Noonan went with Earhart, and they flew out of Miami, Florida, and made stops in South America, Africa, and Asia. The pair arrived in Lae, New Guinea, on June 29, 1937. They had completed about 35,000 kilometers of travel, and only 11,000 kilometers left. The rest of the trip would be over the Pacific Ocean（太平洋）.
Earhart and Noonan left Lae at midnight on June 2, 1937, with plans to land next on Howland Island, a small, flat narrow island in the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Coast Guard ship Itasca was stationed at the island to help communicate with Earhart over radio for her landing.
At 7:42 a.m. on June 2, the Itasca received a radio message from Earhart saying, “We must be on you（あなたの近くにいるに違いない）, but cannot see you – but gas is running low. Have been unable to reach you by radio. We are flying at 1,000 feet（約３００メートル）.” Another radio message came in at 7:58 a.m., saying that Earhart could not hear the Itasca. She asked them to send voice signals. The Itasca tried sending voice signals as well as Morse code. Earhart radioed back saying she got these signals but that she couldn’t find the ship’s location. In Earhart’s last known message, she radioed the Itasca her location. She said she would radio again, but another message never came.
Over the next few hours, the Itasca tried over and over to reach Earhart, but there was no clear answer. Soon, there was a full-on（全くの） search for Earhart and Noonan on and all around Howland Island. The U.S. Navy also helped with the search. Within the next week, there were searches of the nearby Phoenix Islands. The official search lasted almost three weeks and cost $4 million. But no sign of the two pilots or the airplane were found. Earhart and Noonan had simply disappeared.
After the official search ended, Earhart’s husband, GP Putnam, conducted his own searches. But, finally, after two years of searching, Amelia Earhart was declared dead on January 5, 1939. Although there are many guesses as to what happened to Amelia Earhart, today nobody knows. Searches for Earhart’s airplane in the Pacific Islands continue. In May 2013, The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery announced they discovered a 32-foot long object near the Phoenix Islands that could possibly be Earhart’s plane.