Rare footage emerges showing Amelia Earhart before her doomed flight

It sat in a box for nearly 80 years, but with the release of a newly discovered short film featuring Amelia Earhart, the world is now getting a glimpse at the aviatrix's last photo shoot before she disappeared during her 1937 flight around the world.

The film, shot on 16mm acetate film and clocking in at under 3 minutes, was shot by the brother of Earhart's photographer at the Burbank Airport in either March or May of 1937, The Associated Press reports. It took 20 years after the man's death for his son to give the film, which shows Earhart being photographed outside of her plane, to publisher Douglas Westfall.

The footage was taken after Earhart's plane crashed in Hawaii and was being rebuilt so she could continue on her journey around the world. "She was the true breakout feminist," Westfall said. "She was the one who allowed women to do things only men had done before." Westfall appreciates and understands the weight of his new acquisition, saying, "To be able to hold it for a minute and relish in the fact that it's a piece of America's history is remarkable." Catherine Garcia

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