Fred Noonan was an American navigator and aviator, best known for his role in the ill-fated flight of Amelia Earhart in 1937. He was born on April 4, 1893, and had extensive experience in navigation, having worked on various commercial flights and with notable airlines of the time. Noonan disappeared alongside Earhart during their attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Their last known position was near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean. Despite extensive search efforts, neither Noonan nor Earhart was ever found, leading to numerous theories about their fate.