UFOs Aliens

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    MYSTERIES,LEGENDS, ANDUNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA

    UFOS AND ALIENS

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    MYSTERIES, LEGENDS, AND

    UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA

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    UFO a

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    MYSTERIES,LEGENDS, ANDUNEXPLAINED PHENOMENAMYSTERIES,

    LEGENDS,AND

    UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA

    UFOS AND ALIENS

    PRESTON DENNETT

    Consulting Editor: Rosemary Ellen Guiley

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    UFOs and aliens

    Copyright 2008 by Inobase Publishing

    All rights reserved. No part o this book may be reproduced or utilized in any orm or byany means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any in-ormation storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing rom the publisher.For inormation contact:

    Chelsea HouseAn imprint o Inobase Publishing132 West 31st StreetNew York NY 10001

    lbrry o Cogr Ctogg--Pubcto dtDennett, Preston E., 1965-UFOs and aliens / Preston Dennett ; consulting editor, Rosemary Ellen Guiley.

    p. cm. (Mysteries, legends, and unexplained phenomena)Includes bibliographical reerences and index.ISBN-13: 978-0-7910-9384-9ISBN-10: 0-7910-9384-01. Unidentied fying objectsSightings and encounters. 2. Human-alien encounters.

    I. Guiley, Rosemary Ellen. II. Title. III. Series.TL789.3.D463 2008

    001.942dc222007029621

    Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantitiesor businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special SalesDepartment in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755.

    You can nd Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.chelseahouse.com

    Text design by James Scotto-LavinoCover design by Ben PetersonCover illustration by Robert M. Place

    Printed in the United States o America

    Bang EJB 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

    This book is printed on acid-ree paper.

    All links and Web addresses were checked and veried to be correct at the time o pub-lication. Because o the dynamic nature o the Web, some addresses and links may have

    changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

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    Contents

    Foreword 7

    Introduction 13

    1 Ancient Astronauts 15

    2 The Sighting That Changed the World 29

    3 When UFOs Land 49

    4 Taken Onboard 63

    5 UFO Crashes 81

    6 Conspiracies and Cover-ups 95

    7 UFO Hoaxes 107

    8 Conclusions 115

    Timeline 117

    Glossary 125

    Endnotes 129

    Further Resources 133

    Bibliography 137

    Index 141

    About the Author 151

    About the Consulting Editor 152

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    Did you ever have an experience that turned your whole world up-

    side down? Maybe you saw a ghost or a UFO. Perhaps you had an

    unusual, vivid dream that seemed real. Maybe you suddenly knew thata certain event was going to happen in the uture. Or, perhaps you saw

    a creature or a being that did not t the description o anything known

    in the natural world. At rst you might have thought your imagination

    was playing tricks on you. Then, perhaps, you wondered about what

    you experienced and went looking or an explanation.

    Every day and night people have experiences they cant explain.

    For many people these events are lie changing. Their comort zone

    o what they can accept as real is put to the test. It takes only one

    such experience or people to question the reality o the mysterious

    worlds that might exist beyond the one we live in. Perhaps you havent

    encountered the unknown, but you have an intense curiosity about

    it. Either way, by picking up this book youve started an adventure

    to explore and learn more, and youve come to the right place! The

    book you hold has been written by a leading expert in the paranor-

    malsomeone who understands unusual experiences and who knows

    the answers to your questions.

    As a seeker o knowledge, you have plenty o company. Mythol-

    ogy, olklore, and records o the past show that human beings have

    had paranormal experiences throughout history. Even prehistoric cave

    paintings and gravesites indicate that early humans had concepts o

    the supernatural and o an aterlie. Humans have always sought to

    understand paranormal experiences and to put them into a rame o

    reerence that makes sense to us in our daily lives. Some o the greatest

    Foreword

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    UFOs and aliensi

    minds in history have grappled with questions about the paranormal.

    For example, Greek philosopher Plato pondered the nature o dreamsand how we travel during them. Isaac Newton was interested in the

    esoteric study o alchemy, which has magical elements, and St. Thomas

    Aquinas explored the nature o angels and spirits. Philosopher William

    James joined organizations dedicated to psychical research, and even

    the inventor o the light bulb, Thomas Alva Edison, wanted to build

    a device that could talk to the dead. More recently physicists such as

    David Bohm, Stephen Hawking, William Tiller, and Michio Kaku

    have developed ideas that may help explain how and why paranormal

    phenomena happen, and neuroscience researchers like Michael Pers-

    inger have explored the nature o consciousness.

    Exactly what is a paranormal experience or phenomenon? Para

    is derived rom a Latin term or beyond. So paranormal means

    beyond normal, or things that do not t what we experience through

    our ve senses alone and which do not ollow the laws we observe in

    nature and in science. Paranormal experiences and phenomena run thegamut rom the awesome and marvelous, such as angels and miracles,

    to the downright terriying, such as vampires and werewolves.

    Paranormal experiences have been consistent throughout the ages,

    but explanations o them have changed as societies, cultures, and tech-

    nologies have changed. For example, our ancestors were much closer

    to the invisible realms. In times when lie was simpler, they saw, elt,

    and experienced other realities on a daily basis. When night ell, the

    darkness was thick and quiet, and it was easier to see unusual things,such as ghosts. They had no electricity to keep the night lit up. They

    had no media or constant communication and entertainment. Travel

    was dicult. They had more time to notice subtle things that were

    just beyond their ordinary senses. Few doubted their experiences.

    They accepted the invisible realms as an extension o ordinary lie.

    Today we have many distractions. We are constantly busy rom

    the time we wake up until we go to bed. The world is ull o light

    and noise 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have television, the

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    Internet, computer games, and cell phones to keep us busy, busy, busy.

    We are ruled by technology and science. Yet, we still have paranormalexperiences very similar to those o our ancestors. Because these oc-

    currences do not t neatly into science and technology, many people

    think they are illusions, and there are plenty o skeptics always ready

    to debunk the paranormal and reinorce that idea.

    In roughly the past 100 years, though, some scientists have studied

    the paranormal and attempted to nd scientic evidence or it. Psychic

    phenomena have proven dicult to observe and measure according to

    scientic standards. However, lack o scientic proo does not mean

    paranormal experiences do not happen. Courageous scientists are still

    looking or bridges between science and the supernatural.

    My personal experiences are behind my lielong study o the para-

    normal. Like many children I had invisible playmates when I was very

    young, and I saw strange lights in the yard and woods that I instinc-

    tively knew were the nature spirits who lived there. Children seem

    to be very open to paranormal phenomena, but their ability to havethese experiences oten ades away as they become more involved in

    the outside world, or, perhaps, as adults tell them not to believe in what

    they experience, that its only in their imagination. Even when I was

    very young, I was puzzled that other people would tell me with great

    authority that I did not experience what I knew I did.

    A major reason or my interest in the paranormal is precogni-

    tive dreaming experienced by members o my amily. Precognition

    means ore knowing, or knowing the uture. My mother had a loto psychic experiences, including dreams o uture events. As a teen

    it seemed amazing to me that dreams could show us the uture. I was

    determined to learn more about this and to have such dreams mysel.

    I ound books that explained extrasensory perception, the knowing

    o inormation beyond the ve senses. I learned about dreams and

    experimented with them. I taught mysel to visit distant places in my

    dreams and to notice details about them that I could later veriy in the

    physical world. I learned how to send people telepathic messages in

    Forwor

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    10 UFOs and aliensi

    dreams and how to receive messages in dreams. Every night became

    an exciting adventure.Those interests led me to other areas o the paranormal. Pretty

    soon I was engrossed in studying all kinds o topics. I learned dier-

    ent techniques or divination, including the Tarot. I learned how to

    meditate. I took courses to develop my own psychic skills, and I gave

    psychic readings to others. Everyone has at least some natural psychic

    ability and can improve it with attention and practice.

    Next I turned my attention to the skies, to uology, and what

    might be out there in space. I studied the lore o angels and air-

    ies. I delved into the dark shadowy realm o demons and monsters.

    I learned the principles o real magic and spell casting. I undertook

    investigations o haunted places. I learned how to see auras and do

    energy healing. I even participated in some ormal scientic labora-

    tory experiments or telepathy.

    My studies led me to have many kinds o experiences that have

    enriched my understanding o the paranormal. I cannot say that I canprove anything in scientic terms. It may be some time yet beore

    science and the paranormal stop firting with each other and really get

    together. Meanwhile, we can still learn a great deal rom our personal

    experiences. At the very least, our paranormal experiences contribute

    to our inner wisdom. I encourage others to do the same as I do. Look

    rst or natural explanations o strange phenomena. I natural expla-

    nations cannot be ound or seem unlikely, consider paranormal expla-

    nations. Many paranormal experiences all into a vague area, wherealthough a natural cause might exist, we simply dont know what could

    explain them. In that case I tell people to trust their intuition that they

    had a paranormal experience. Sometimes the explanation makes itsel

    known later on.

    I have concluded rom my studies and experiences that invisible

    dimensions are layered upon our world, and that many paranormal

    experiences occur when there are openings between worlds. The

    doorways oten open at unexpected times. You take a trip, visit a

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    haunted place, or have a strange dreamand suddenly reality shits.

    You get a glimpse behind the curtain that separates the ordinaryrom the extraordinary.

    The books in this series will introduce you to these exciting and

    mysterious subjects. Youll learn many things that will astonish you.

    Youll be given lots o tips or how to explore the paranormal on

    your own. Paranormal investigation is a popular eld, and you dont

    have to be a scientist or a ull-time researcher to explore it. There

    are many things you can do in your ree time. The knowledge you

    gain rom these books will help prepare you or any unusual and

    unexpected experiences.

    As you go deeper into your study o the paranormal, you may come

    up with new ideas or explanations. Thats one o the appealing aspects

    o paranormal investigationthere is always room or bold ideas. So,

    keep an open and curious mind, and think big. Mysterious worlds are

    waiting or you!

    Rosemary Ellen Guiley

    Forwor 11

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    Introduction

    Each year, thousands o people report seeing strange, unidentied

    fying objects, or UFOs, in the sky. Some people also claim to

    have seen the UFO occupants or even that they themselves have beentaken onboard! Unidentied fying objects have puzzled humanity or

    thousands o years. What are these strange objects in the sky? Where

    do they come rom and why are they here?

    The act is, UFOs are seen all across the planet, on every one o

    the seven continents, in hundreds o dierent countries, and even

    over the oceans. They have been observed by all kinds o people

    rom all walks o lie, including police ocers, pilots, scientists,

    astronautseven President Jimmy Carter reported seeing a UFO!

    They come in many dierent shapes, sizes, and colors. They can

    move at great speeds or hover perectly still in the sky. They have

    been reported or centuries and continue to be reported today. There

    are now several thousand reports on record, yet nobody knows or

    sure exactly what UFOs are.

    To be scientic, its necessary to take an objective look at the evi-

    dence. The question is not: Are UFOs real? People are denitely

    seeingsomething. The question is: What exactly are they seeing?

    This book will explore the ascinating history o the UFO phe-

    nomenon, dating rom ancient times to the present day. This journey

    through time will visit the various cultures o the world as they en-

    counter UFOs or the rst time. It begins with the Egyptians and Ro-

    mans who encountered UFOs thousands o years ago, and then moves

    on to Medieval and Renaissance encounters, ollowed by sightings in

    the 1800s, the incredible airship wave o 1897, the oo fightr o

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    14 UFOs and aliensi

    World War II, and the beginning o the Modern Age o UFOs start-

    ing in 1947.Many o the worlds best-veried and most exciting cases are

    covered in detail, as are the scenes o the worlds most intense UFO

    waves, where strange objects hovered over peoples homes, chased cars

    down highways, and perormed incredible maneuvers in the sky. This

    book also examines the most amous UFO landing cases and describes

    instances when aliens exited their spacecrat to conront surprised

    humans.

    The 1960s brought the rst cases o UFO abductions and onboard

    experiences. This book will describe ace-to-ace encounters with

    extraterrestrials and explore what its (reportedly) like to be taken

    onboard a fyg ucrand meet with what appears to be extrater-

    restrials rom other planets.

    Today, the UFO phenomenon has become even more complicated

    with claims o UFO crashes and government cover-ups. The most

    amous cases o this kind are the Roswell UFO crash o 1947 and theKecksburg, Pennsylvania UFO crash o 1965. Eorts by the United

    States government to investigate UFOs have included the United

    States Air Forces (UsaF) well-known Projct Bu Bookand the

    ar 51 story. All o this is explored and examined in this volume.

    Are UFOs real? Are they riendly or hostile? What should one

    do upon seeing a UFO? This book answers all o these questions and

    more through an incredible journey exploring one o the most per-

    plexing and persistent mysteries o modern times: aliens and UFOs.

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    1

    A Aoau

    It is thousands o years ago, and a small group o early humans cower in

    a cave. Suddenly, they look up to see a weird shiny object hovering above

    them. As they watch, the object lands, and a short gure with shiny clothing exits.

    Ater a ew minutes, the creature returns to the object and departs. Aterwards,

    the amazed early humans are unable to ully understand the event. However,

    they do record the encounter in the only way they know howwith art.

    While the above scenario is ctional, incidents like this may haveactually provided the rst evidence o early UFO visitations.

    I there is one thing that uologists are sure about, its that UFOs

    have been visiting Earth or a long, long time. But the question re-

    mains: Exactly how long have they been here? This is not so easy to

    answer. It seems that the arther back one looks in time, the more

    clues there are to nd.

    To examine these clues, it is necessary to travel back in time thou-

    sands o years, to an era when humans were just beginning to learnthe basics o civilization, including construction, agriculture, writing,

    and, most importantly here, art.

    Ancient e.t. Art

    Numerous ancient stone carvings, rock paintings, and mysterious

    monuments throughout the world hint that extraterrestrials (E.T.s)

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    16 UFOs and aliensi

    may have visited this planet in the distant past. Granite carvings in

    Hunan, Asia, or example, show human gures gazing into the skyat hovering, cylindrical objects on which other people are standing.

    These look much like todays UFO reports. The only problem is,

    these carvings are dated around 45,000 bce!

    Petroglyphs in Toro Muerto, Peru, show gures with large trans-

    parent helmets. These rock carvings are dated at about 11,000 bce.

    On the Tassili plateau in the Sahara Desert are sculpted rock g-

    ures, also with large, round heads, like helmets. These statues date

    back to around 6000 bce.

    Figures carved into rock in Lomoukai, Nambu Province in Arica

    depict gures in what appear to be modern spacesuits. These carvings

    are dated to around 4300 bce.

    Another example comes rom the Australian Aborigines. Numer-

    ous ancient rock paintings depict short, robed gures with large star-

    ing eyes and huge helmet-like heads, again the typical description o

    an extraterrestrial. These images are known to be 3,000 years old.More clues come rom a wide variety o cultures. An early Colom-

    bian artiact looks almost exactly like the space shuttle. A clay sculp-

    ture rom a pre-Japanese culture shows what looks like an astronaut

    inside a pressurized spacesuit. Both o these artiacts are at least 3,000

    years old.

    Why do so many dierent cultures across the world create these

    strange gures? Could aliens and UFOs have inspired them? Interest-

    ingly, many early cultures have myths and legends about wise God-like beings that came rom the sky to teach humanity.

    Mysterious places like Easter Island, Stonehenge, the Egyptian

    pyramids, and countless others have also generated years o debate

    about how they came to exist. While some researchers have speculated

    that extraterrestrials may have helped to construct these monuments,

    most modern researchers believe that humans built them. There are

    tantalizing clues, however, that some o these creations may have been

    inspired by visiting extraterrestrials.

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    One example that stands out above all the other places is a mysteri-

    ous desert plateau in Nazca, Peru. This 500-square-mile volcanic pla-teau contains artwork by an unknown creator (or creators). There are

    hundreds o markings on the plateauincluding animal gures such

    as monkeys, spiders, whales, and various birds, as well as geometric

    designs, patterns, and linesthat can only be seen rom high up in

    the air.

    These markings are more than 2,000 years old, predating both

    the Incan and Mayan empires. Thereore the question remains: Who

    made these markings that can only be seen rom the air, and why?

    Could they have been inspired by extraterrestrials? The Nazca mys-

    tery remains unsolved.1

    Figure 1.1 These giant hands are part of the Nazca Lines in Peru. (KevinSchafer/Corbis)

    act atrout 17

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    1 UFOs and aliensi

    UFOs in Ancient egypt And indiA

    Fortunately, there are more than just pictures and carvings that record

    early UFO visitations. On an ancient Egyptian papyrus dated rom 1504

    bce is one o the earliest known written records o a UFO encounter.

    It was written during the reign o Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III,

    and is now at the Egyptian museum at the Vatican. The hieroglyphics

    were translated by Egyptologists and tell an amazing story. One day a

    group o Egyptian citizens observed a circle o re that was coming

    rom the sky. The people became rightened and threw themselves

    to the ground. A ew days later, the strange objects returned. Accord-

    ing to the document, Now ater some days had passed, these things

    became more numerous in the sky than ever. They shone more in the

    sky than the brightness o the sun, and extended to the limits o the

    our supports o the heavens . . . Powerul was the position o these

    re circles.

    Texts rom Ancient India also provide suggestions o UFO activity.More than 5,000 years old and written in ancient Sanskrit, these texts

    describe fying ships, called vimnas, or sky-boats. Researcher Richard

    Thompson has studied hundreds o such accounts and writes that the

    vimnas have many eatures reminiscent o UFOs. Early cultures

    might have had trouble understanding the phenomenon o UFOs, but

    they ound the activity important enough to record. In each case the

    observers interpreted UFOs in the context o their own culture.2

    BiBlicAl UFOs

    Even the Bible mentions possible extraterrestrial encounters. The

    Wheels o Ezekiel described in the Bible contains many parallels

    to modern day UFO reports. The incident took place in 593 bce and

    appears in the beginning o the New Testament. Ezekiel was alone

    when he saw a a great cloud with brightness round about it, and

    re fashing orth constantly, and in the midst o the re, as it were

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    gleaming bronze. Ezekiel also observed strange wheels within wheels

    and other details that sounded very much like a machine. Researcher

    Jose Blumrich wrote a book, The Spaceships o Ezekiel(1974), theoriz-

    ing that Ezekiel encountered actual extraterrestrials.

    Another example rom the Bible is Elijahs ascension in a chariot

    o re. Some researchers speculate that the chariot o re is actually a

    UFO. This has also led to speculation that some reports o angels may

    actually reer to extraterrestrials.

    UFOs in rOmAn times

    It wasnt until Roman times that historians began to keep detailed

    records o UFO encounters. Early Roman writer Julius Obsequens

    was one o the worlds rst UFO investigators. He began recording

    strange events in the year 222 bce, when two Roman consuls observed

    a great light, like day, at midnight, when three moons appeared in

    quarters o the sky distant rom each other.In 216 bce, he wrote o another sighting: Things like ships were

    seen in the sky over Italy . . . At Arpi, a round shield was seen in

    the sky . . . At Capua, the sky was all on re, and one saw gures like

    ships.

    Obsequens eventually recorded dozens o accounts, oten reerring

    to the strange objects as shields, ships, or burning torchesall objects

    that were amiliar to people in Roman society at the time.Another early researcher was German scholar Lycosthenes, who

    recorded numerous UFO sightings over Europe. The ollowing ac-

    count comes rom the year 457 ce: Over Brittany, France, a blazing

    thing like a globe was seen in the sky. Its size was immense, and on its

    beams hung a ball o re like a dragon out o whose mouth proceeded

    two beams, one o which stretched beyond France, the other reached

    towards Ireland, and ended in re, like rays.

    In the year 796, Small globes were seen circling around the sun.

    act atrout 1

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    20 UFOs and aliensi

    And in the year 919, A thing like a burning torch was seen in the

    sky, and glistening balls like stars moved to and ro in the air overHungary.

    Another sighting that cannot be easily explained occurred in 1168:

    A globe o re was seen moving to and ro in the air on 20 March.

    Some o the early accounts match up perectly with todays reports.

    In the year 1290, or example, the abbot and monks at Begeland Abbey

    in England observed a fat, round, shining, silvery object that few

    over the abbey, causing utmost terror.3

    UFOs in the middles Ages

    As history marched orward into the Middle Ages, accounts o UFO

    sightings became more detailed. In 1322: In the rst hour o the

    night o November 4 there was seen in the sky over Uxbridge, Eng-

    land a pillar o re the size o a small boat, pallid and livid in colour.

    It rose rom the south, crossed the sky with slow and grave motions,and went north. Out o the ront o the pillar, a ervent red fame

    burst orth with great beams o light. Its speed increased, and it few

    through the air.

    In 1387, England experienced a wave o UFO activity when citi-

    zens observed a re in the sky, like a burning and revolving wheel,

    or round barrel o fame, emitting re rom above, and others in the

    shape o a long ery beam.

    On April 14, 1561, numerous residents o Nuremberg, Germany,saw hundreds o globes, cylinders, and other strange-shaped objects

    fying in darting patterns, as i ghting one another. The sighting

    lasted about an hour and was described by witnesses as a very right-

    ul spectacle. An unknown artist recorded the event in a woodcarv-

    ing, which shows the strange feet o fying objects, including a ew

    actually crashing to the Earth.

    On August 7, 1566, Samuel Coccius o Basel, England, wrote that

    at sunrise many large black globes were seen in the air, moving beore

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    the sun with great speed and turning against each other as i ghting.

    Coccius memorialized the event in a woodcarving, which shows about

    40 objects lling the sky as stunned observers look on.

    IFOs, or Identified Flying Objects

    Its a bird! Its a plane! No . . . its a UFO! UFOs are not alwayswhat they seem. In act, most uologists agree that only about 10percent o UFO reports are genuine unknowns. The remaining 90 per-

    cent o the reports are caused by natural or human-made phenomena.

    Below is a list o the phenomena that are sometimes mistaken or UFOs:

    Venus or other planets

    meteorites, reballs

    ball lightning

    weather balloons

    stars, comets

    airplanes, helicopters, and other conventional aircrat

    satellites, rockets, missiles, and other advanced military aircrat

    mirages caused by temperature inversions

    lenticular (saucer-shaped) clouds

    lights rom buildings, searchlights, lighthouses, and other

    structures

    reworks

    Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)

    sundogs, which are atmospheric refections rom ice crystals

    birds, refies

    act atrout 21

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    22 UFOs and aliensi

    Many astronomers have seen UFOs. The amous English astrono-

    mer, Edmund Halley, who discovered Halleys comet, also claims to

    have seen a UFO. In May o 1677, he and numerous others observed

    a great light in the sky all over southern England, many miles high.

    The light moved with incredible speed, and was very bright. It seemed

    to vanish and let a pale white light behind it. There were no hissing

    sounds and no explosion. Was this a UFO or a meteor? Even Halley

    wasnt sure.

    On July 9, 1686, German astronomer Gottried Kirch observed aburning globe that was so bright one could read without a candle.

    He used a telescope and estimated that the object was 30 miles up.

    Ater eight minutes, the light disappeared. Kirch later learned that

    other people eight miles away observed the same object earlier that

    evening.

    Throughout the 1700s, the Gentlemans Magazine o England re-

    corded numerous accounts, such as the ollowing incredible sighting:

    In March, 1719, and again on 29 August, 1738, there appeared in thesky over England at 3 P.M. in the northeast a glowing ball like a cone,

    with a jet o fame at the rear . . . It was like a cone o re, ending in a

    sharp point, with a bright ball at the thicker end. The ball seemed to

    burst and go away in a jet o fame.

    On January 2, 1749, three large spherical-shaped objects like the

    moon appeared over Japan, causing widespread riots. The govern-

    ment was orced to enact martial law to stop the panic.During this time, several Renaissance painters created works o

    art that contained images o typical fying saucers. In 2003, researcher

    Matthew Hurley identied many examples. A teenth-century paint-

    ing by Italian artist Ghirlandaio shows the Virgin Mary with a disk-

    shaped object hovering in the sky. In the background, a man points at

    the object. Another sixteenth-century resco shows a gure inside a

    fying object that is darting across the sky above a crowd o people.4

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    UFOs in the 1800s

    Sightings continued strong into the 1800s. In July 1868, residents o

    Copiago, Chile, observed an unidentied aerial construction fy

    overhead. It was described as having shiny scales and making a noise

    like a machine.

    A dramatic account rom the summer o 1883 was published in

    the West German magazine, Der Stern. According to the report, All

    the children and the teacher in the public elementary school at Sege-

    berg, saw in the sky two ery balls, the size o ull moons, travelingside by side, not very switly, rom north to south, on a clear and

    sunny day.

    Despite the many sightings, most people still didnt view UFOs as

    aliens rom space. More popular explanations included angels, demons,

    or signs rom God or the Devil. At this time, humans had still not learned

    how to fy, so the idea o space-travel and lie on other planets hadnt en-

    tered the public consciousness. It wouldnt be until airplanes and rockets

    were invented in the early twentieth century that people began to seri-

    ously consider that UFOs might be creatures rom other planets.

    Then in 1896, the United States experienced its rst UFO wave

    when residents across northern Caliornia reported seeing an airship

    in the sky. The rst sighting to gain widespread attention occurred on

    November 17, 1896. As reported in the Sacramento Bee: Last evening

    between the hours o six and seven oclock, in the year o our Lord 1896,

    a most startling exhibition was seen in the sky in this city o Sacramento.People standing on the sidewalks at certain points in the city between

    the hours stated, saw coming through the sky over the housetops what

    appeared to them to be merely an electric arc lamp propelled by some

    mysterious orce. It came out o the east and sailed unevenly toward the

    southwest, dropping now nearer to the earth, and now suddenly rising

    into the air. Several witnesses said they heard voices. Among the many

    witnesses was the daughter o the mayor o Sacramento.

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    UFO Statistics

    Many surveys have been taken to determine how many peoplebelieve in UFOs, or have seen them. The results may surprise you.The Gallup Poll

    Probably the most respected poll is the Gallup Poll. The results o Gallup

    polls concerning UFOs have been very consistent throughout the years,as evidenced in Table 1.1.

    Table 1.1

    Gallup Poll of UFO Believer and sighting

    YearPercentage Who

    Believein UFos

    Percentage Who have

    seen a UFo

    1966 46% 5%

    1973 53% 11%

    1978 57% 9%

    1987 49% 14%

    2001 50% 10%

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    jact atrout 25

    The Roper Poll

    The United States has a population o about 300 million people. And i 10

    percent o Americans have seen UFOs, that would equal 30 million UFO

    witnesses. This raises the question, how many people have been abducted

    by UFOs? Another prominent survey is the Roper Poll. In 1974, the Roper

    Poll ound that 40 percent o Americans believe in UFOs. In 1996, how-

    ever, the Roper Poll ound that 2 percent o Americans have experienced

    a UFO abduction. I true, that would equal 6 million Americans who havebeen inside a UFO! These surveys tend to raise more questions that are

    dicult to answer; or example, with 30 million UFO witnesses, why is it

    that only hal o the people surveyed even believe in UFOs? Also, with 6

    million UFO ducts, why is it that there isnt more physical evidence?

    Where are the UFOs?

    What are the top three places in the United States or seeing UFOs? Ac-

    cording to the National UFO Reporting Service (NUFORC), the top threespots are:

    Caliornia

    Washington

    Texas

    Nobody is sure why these spots are more active than others. Caliornia

    does have the highest population o any other state, and Texas is thesecond largest state. Both o these might be reasons, but at this point,

    the answer remains one o the many mysteries surrounding the subject

    o aliens and UFOs.

    1

    2

    3

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    Over the next week, the mysterious airship continued to appear.

    Five days later, on November 22, 1896, dozens o passengers on anOakland streetcar observed an object that looked like a wingless ci-

    gar. The object emitted beams o light and traveled slowly overhead.

    Again, the account became ront-page news.

    Beore long, the wave spread across the United States, with thou-

    sands o people reporting the strange zeppelin-like objects. In a ew

    o the cases, witnesses encountered human-looking people who were

    dressed strangely and spoke unknown languages.

    At rst, people assumed that these airships were coming rom or-

    eign countries, such as Cuba. Again, the idea o aliens visiting Earth

    rom outer space was still largely unknown. Today, the mysterious

    airship wave remains unexplained. Some researchers believe that the

    sightings may have been the result o early undercover experiments with

    dirigibles, zeppelins, and other airships. And in act, only one year later,

    on November 3, 1897, timber merchant David Schwarz o the Austro-

    Hungarian Empire invented and successully few an airship.Other researchers have a stranger explanation or the airship mys-

    tery. They say that UFOs are actually putting on dierent masks or

    each culture, and may actually be some sort o interdimensional visi-

    tors and not extraterrestrials at all. The best evidence or this theory

    is the act that UFOs do seem to appear dierent in each culture. For

    example, the many cases o airies and elves in the medieval times

    may have been actual airies and elves, actual aliens that people just

    thought were airies or elves, or perhaps another mask worn by theinterdimensional beings. Explanations or these phenomena are not

    always easy.5

    FOO Fighters

    During the middle o World War II in 1943 and 1944, numerous

    ghter pilots began to see what they called oo ghters, or small

    balls o light that ollowed their aircrat. At rst, everyone assumed

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    that the balls o light were secret German weapons. However, it was

    later discovered that German and Japanese pilots also encountered the

    strange balls o light and thought they were American or English se-

    cret weapons. Neither thought that they were extraterrestrials.

    Strangely, the oo ghters never attacked the planes, but instead

    few behind them or whirled around them in curious patterns. They

    appeared alone or in groups. The United States military and the Brit-

    ish military both launched investigations, but were unable to account

    or the strange sightings.6

    the sWedish ghOst rOckets

    Only one year later, UFOs came back with a vengeance. Starting

    in May 1946, Sweden and other northern European countries were

    plagued by a wave o ghost rockets. Described as missiles, spheres,

    reballs, cigar-shaped, and ootball shaped, these objects moved in

    typical UFO patterns, racing at high speeds, darting at sharp angles,

    Figure 1.2 During World War II, many airplane pilots saw small balls of lightcalled foo fighters chasing their planes. This photograph shows two foo fightersaccompanying a flight of Japanese fighters over the Suzuka Mountains in centralJapan. (Mary Evans Picture Library)

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    and hovering or foating. By the end o 1946, more than 1,000 re-

    ports o the objects came rom Sweden alone. The objects, however,were seen all across Europe and even in Arica and India. By 1947,

    there were 2,000 reports, including a ew citing explosions or land-

    ings. There was no evidence, however, o any injuries to people, nor

    was anyone able to recover one o the objects. The Swedish Deense

    Ministry launched an investigation, believing that the objects were

    probably secret Soviet weapons. Their research showed that at least

    200 o the reports were unexplained and cannot be the phenomena o

    nature or the products o imagination.7

    From ancient times up to 1947, mainstream society still had not

    aced the possibility that Earth was being visited by extraterrestri-

    als. However, something was about to happen that would change

    everything.

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    t s taca Wo

    On June 24, 1947, the world changed orever. It was a sunny ater-

    noon as private pilot and businessman Kenneth Arnold few his

    small plane over Mount Rainier in Washington State. He was part o a

    rescue mission to search or another plane that had crashed in the local

    mountains. Suddenly a tremendously bright fash in the air caughthis eye. To Arnolds amazement, he observed nine strange metallic

    objects skipping like saucers across the sky. As an experienced pilot,

    he could tell that they were like no aircrat I had ever seen beore.

    He watched them or about two minutes, as they perormed amazing

    maneuvers. Arnold estimated that the objects were moving at more

    than 1,700 miles per hour!

    When he landed, Arnold reported his sighting to ocials. Mili-

    tary ocers interviewed him and concluded that the sighting wasunexplained. The media heard about the case, and Arnolds sighting

    became ront-page news across the world. The story electried the

    public. For the rst time, the world was introduced to the word fy-

    ing saucer. Earth, it appeared, was being visited by beings rom outer

    space! The Modern Age o UFOs had begun.8

    Arnolds sighting was only the tip o the iceberg. Now that a credible

    witness had reported seeing UFOs, the foodgates opened or hundreds

    o other people across the world to report their own sightings. The

    2

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    summer o 1947 went down in history as one o the busiest years o

    UFO activity ever recorded. And ever since 1947, UFOs have beenreported every year.

    Most o the sightings involved metallic disks that hovered silently,

    moved at right angles, and traveled at supersonic speeds. These objects

    were seen by large groups o people across the United States and the

    world. Only a ew o these incidents are known as classic cases. What

    ollows are some o the worlds best classic UFO cases.

    Flier dies chAsing A Flying sAUcer

    On January 8, 1948, fying saucers again became ront-page news

    when an Air Force Pilot was killed while in pursuit o an unknown ob-

    ject over Kentucky. The ordeal began on January 7, when the sheri s

    station o Louisville, Kentucky, received several calls rom local resi-

    dents reporting a strange circular object, about 250 eet in diameter,

    moving over the town. Witnesses described the object as glowing

    or metallic. The local Godman Air Force Base was alerted, but they

    denied any knowledge o the object. Then, a ew minutes later, the

    bases tower operators were shocked to see the unknown object hover-

    ing over the base itsel!

    The UFO remained in view or 45 minutes while numerous base

    ocials observed it through binoculars. Finally, they decided to

    scramble jets to pursue the unknown object.

    At the time o the sighting, Captain Thomas J. Mantell and histeam were approaching Godman AFB in our F-51 ghter jets. Cap-

    tain Mantell was ordered to intercept and identiy the object. Air tra-

    c controllers guided him towards the location o the UFO. Fiteen

    minutes later, Mantell made visual contact. He radioed to the base, I

    see something above and ahead o me.

    The control tower remained silent while Mantell continued to

    comment. Ive sighted the thing. It looks metallic and its tremendous

    in size . . . Now its starting to climb.

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    The young pilot increased his throttles and climbed in altitude to

    about 20,000 eet. He radioed that he was closing in on the object,and then came silence. There were no more messages rom Mantell.

    The wreckage o his plane was ound shortly later. For some reason

    that would never be explained, the plane had gone out o control and

    plunged to the earth. Mantell died instantly upon impact.

    The press went wild. The New York Times printed the headline,

    Flier Dies Chasing a Flying Saucer. Military ocials attempted to

    downplay the sighting, saying that Mantell had mistaken Venus or a

    UFO and that he simply ran out o oxygen and crashed. While it is

    true that Mantells plane was not equipped with oxygen, at the time o

    the sighting, Venus was low on the horizon and could not have been

    responsible or the object. When this act became clear, skeptics then

    claimed that Mantell was chasing a large Skyhook weather balloon.

    Believers, on the other hand, say that the UFO may have zapped

    his plane out o the sky. There are many cases during which UFOs

    aect electronic equipment; these are discussed in later chapters.There were also rumors that the wreckage o Mantells plane showed

    evidence o unusual damage, though this was never conrmed. To this

    day, the truth remains unknown.9

    UFO Over FArgO

    Many pilots have reported seeing UFOs. For some reason, UFOs

    are attracted to other fying objectsincluding normal planes. Asimilar and equally dramatic airplane-UFO encounter occurred just

    two months later over Fargo, North Dakota. Twenty-ve year old

    George Gorman was a jet pilot and second lieutenant o the North

    Dakota Air National Guard. On the evening o October 1, 1948,

    Gorman was coming in or a landing at Fargo Airport when he no-

    ticed a weird, glowing disk-shaped object below and ahead o him. As

    he watched, the unknown object steadied its fight, then pulled into a

    sharp let turn heading toward the airport control tower.

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    Where is the Proof?

    I UFOs are real, where is the evidence? Is there any actual prooo UFOs? In act, there are many dierent kinds o evidence thatuologists have gathered to support the case or the UFO. Below is a list

    o some o the major types o UFO evidence, all o which is examined in

    this book.

    eywitnss tstimony: This is best when supported by multiple

    witnesses and lie detector tests.

    Photogrphs nd moving fms: Photos and lms are great

    evidence, but they must be careully analyzed to rule out hoaxing.

    Rdr rturns:This type o evidence is rare but has been reported

    by both commercial and military pilots and ground radar.

    lnding trcs: There are more than 2,000 cases where UFOs have

    let evidence o landing, including marks in the ground or even burns.

    ectromgntic cts: UFOs oten aect machinery including

    cars, radios, televisions, and more.

    Mdic cts: There are about 400 cases o UFO injuries and 150

    cases o UFO healings.

    Mt rgmnts: In a ew rare cases, UFOs have let metal samples

    behind that seem to dey analysis.

    ain impnts: Recent analysis o small oreign bodies ound

    in the bodies o abductees shows that these objects might be

    extraterrestrial.

    anim rctions: Many cases exist o animals reacting to UFOs.

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    Historic ccounts: Evidence o ancient E.T.s exists in many

    cultures.

    Govrnmnt documnts: Thousands o pages o ocial

    UFO documents have been released through the Frdom o

    Inormtion act.

    Figure 2.1 A formation of UFOs photographed by a U.S. Coast Guard cam-eraman in Salem, Massachusetts. (Bettmann/Corbis)

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    34 UFOs and aliensi

    Gorman realized instantly he was seeing something unusual and

    decided to take action. Little did he know, he was about to make UFOhistory. I dived ater it . . . but I couldnt catch up with the thing. It

    started gaining altitude and again made a let bank. I put my F-51 into

    a sharp turn and tried to cut o the light, in my turn. By then we were

    at 7,000 eet. Suddenly, the thing made a sharp turn right and we were

    headed straight or each other! Just when we were about to collide,

    I guess I got scared. I went into a dive and the light passed over my

    canopy at about 500 eet. Then the thing made a let circle about 1,000

    eet above me, and I gave chase again.

    Meanwhile, the air trac controller, L.D. Jensen, was shocked to

    observe the entire cat and mouse ght between the pilot and the

    UFO. He grabbed a pair o binoculars. While he could clearly identiy

    Gormans plane, the lighted object remained unidentiable. Several

    other witnesses in the area also observed the strange object. For the

    next hal-hour, Gorman chased the object, reaching speeds up to 400

    miles per hour. The object easily eluded him and nally sped away,never to reappear.

    Ater the encounter, Air Force investigators rom Project Blue

    Book interviewed Gorman. Project Blue Book was responsible or

    investigating UFO reports or the Air Force. At the time o the

    incident, the U.S. Air Force had taken a policy o ridiculing UFO

    encounters, usually explaining them away as hallucinations, hoaxes,

    or misperceptions. They concluded that Gorman had encountered

    a weather balloon. The case was widely published in the media,and again skeptics and believers were divided. Like many UFO en-

    counters, there was little evidence other than eyewitness testimony.

    Gorman, however, remains unshaken in his convictions and says,

    I am convinced there was thought behind the things maneuvers.

    I had the distinct impression that its maneuvers were controlled by

    thought or reason.10

    One o the common misconceptions about UFO encounters is

    that they are very rare. In act, each year produces a number o high-

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    quality reports. Only a very ew o these cases, however, are reported

    in the popular media. One o the next classic UFO cases to grab theattention o the world is known today as the Lubbock Lights.

    the lUBBOck lights

    It all began on the evening o August 25, 1951, in Lubbock, Texas. A

    scientist rom the Atomic Energy Commission and his wie were in

    the yard o their home. Suddenly, both noticed an enormous, silent,

    V-shaped aircrat dart overhead at an altitude o less than 1,000 eet.

    The crat was covered with colored lights and strange markings.

    Unknown to the couple, other witnesses in the area were also

    seeing strange objects. The next report came rom another group o

    scientists including a geologist, two engineers, and a physicist, each

    o who observed a ormation o nearly three-dozen unidentied tur-

    quoise lights moving quickly overhead rom north to south. A ew

    hours later, another feet o UFOs few over the group o scientists inan unorganized cluster. The Lubbock Lights case had begun!

    The couple and the group o scientists reported their sighting to

    the Air Force, which began an investigation. The Air Force ound

    urther conrmation or the sighting when the nearby radar station o

    the Air Deense Command Network reported that they observed the

    unknown objects on their radarscopes and clocked them at a speed o

    900 miles per hour.

    The group o scientists was amazed by their two sightings, and theyconjectured that the UFOs might return. They decided to conduct a

    UFO stakeout. To their amazement, the UFOs did return, again and

    again! Over the next month, the group o scientists (which had added

    two more members) experienced a series o 12 dierent sightings. In

    each o these cases, the objects were totally silent, moved at supersonic

    speeds, and sometimes turned at right angles.

    Meanwhile, in the town o Lubbock itsel, more than 200 con-

    cerned citizens also viewed the unusual aerial display. On August 31,

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    1951, resident and amateur photographer Carl Hart Jr. saw the objects.

    He grabbed his Kodak camera and quickly snapped two clear photo-

    graphs o the glowing UFOs, both o which showed the ormation o

    unusual crat.Major Edward Ruppelt, the head o Project Blue Book, wrote o the

    case, This was by ar the best combination o UFO reports Id ever

    read, and Id read every one in the Air Forces les.

    Still there was little that could be done. By the end o August, the

    UFOs had stopped appearing and the weird wave o sightings came to

    a sudden end.11

    While the Lubbock Lights made or an amazing case, a ar more

    dazzling case was about to occur, this time directly over the nations

    Figure 2.2 The Lubbock Lights. In August of 1951, the town of Lubbock, Texasexperienced a wave of UFO activity. On August 31, resident Carl Hart Jr. snappedthis famous photograph of a formation of objects as they passed over the town.The photograph has never been satisfactorily explained. (Bettmann/Corbis)

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    capital. One o the most common questions asked about UFOs is, I

    UFOs are real, why dont they land on the White House lawn and

    make an ocial announcement? In the summer o 1952, this very

    nearly happened.

    the WAshingtOn nAtiOnAls

    On July 19, 1952, at 11:40 p.m., air trac controller Edward Nugent at

    Washington National Airport spotted seven unusual-looking blips onhis radarscope. Nugent watched in amazement as the blips perormed

    amazing maneuvers, traveling up to 7,000 miles per hour. He immedi-

    ately called the senior air trac controller Harry Barnes.

    Barnes looked at the scope in shock. In a later interview, Barnes

    said, We knew immediately that a very strange situation existed . . .

    there is no other conclusion that I can reach but that or six hours

    there were at least 10 unidentied fying objects moving above Wash-

    ington. They were not ordinary aircrat. I could tell that by theirmovement on the scope. I can saely deduce that they perormed

    gyrations which no known aircrat can perorm. By this I mean that

    our scopes showed that they could make right angle turns and com-

    plete reversals o fight.

    Barnes immediately contacted nearby Andrews Air Force Base who

    also had unusual blips on their radar. Later, they made visual contact

    with the UFOs. Airman William Brady was the rst to see an objectwhich looked like an orange ball o re, trailing a tail.

    Following Bradys sighting, numerous other ocers, guards, and

    employees observed the UFOs. Meanwhile, airline pilots throughout

    the area called in to report UFOs cavorting around their own planes.

    When the activity continued, commercial jets were grounded and

    Newcastle Air Force Base sent out two F-49 jet interceptors to chase

    the unknown objects. Each time the jets approached, however, the

    UFOs would dart away. When the jets let, the UFOs returned.

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    The sightings continued all night, and were seen by hundreds o

    witnesses over a widespread area. The next day, a press conerence

    was held, and the Air Force attempted to explain the sightings. The

    public was told that the objects were illusions caused by temperature

    inversions in the atmosphere. Fortunately, the sightings were so

    numerous that they were impossible to cover up or explain away.

    Today, the sightings are believed by most researchers to be entirely

    valid and are considered one o the classic cases o UFO history.

    Researcher Captain Kevin Randle (U.S. Air Force) wrote a ull-length book about the sightings. Says Randle, The evidence is

    that something extraordinary was seen in the sky over Washington.

    Radar conrmed the sightings and ghters attempted to intercept

    these objects. There were visual sightings. And there was pressure by

    the Air Force to orce their personnel to change their descriptions o

    the UFOs and their conclusions about the objects. We can say with

    certainty that something was seen by radar and observed visually . . .

    I the objects sighted were manuactured crat, then it is clear thatthey hadnt been built on this planet because o their speed and

    maneuverability. The only explanation that ts the acts is the extra-

    terrestrial. The Washington Nationals show that we have been visited.

    There is no other plausible explanation.12

    With the dramatic Washington sightings, public interest in UFOs

    soared. In act, some researchers believe that the UFOs were actually

    putting on a display and announcing their presence. And it wasnt longbeore more high-quality cases began to occur, making it very dicult

    or the Air Force to debunk the sightings. One o the next best-veried

    cases occurred over Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    sWAmp sighting

    On March 18, 1966, 50 or more witnesses (including a dozen police

    ocers) observed a large, disk-shaped crat hovering low over themarshlands outside o Ann Arbor, Michigan. Several witnesses re-

    ported seeing our other smaller objects escorting the larger one.

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    UFOs Among the Stars

    UFOs are reported by all kinds o people, regardless o age, sex,race, religion, or education. The only requirement or seeing aUFO is looking up at the right time. In act, many amous people have

    reported their own UFO encounters:

    Future president Jimmy Carter and several other people were inGeorgia in 1973 when they observed a large glowing object in

    the sky. Says Carter, It was 30 degrees above the horizon and

    looked about as large as the moon. The object darted around or

    a ew minutes and disappeared. Carter later reported his sighting

    to the Center For UFO Studies.

    Astronaut James McDivitt photographed a UFO while orbiting

    the earth in the Gemini 5 space capsule. Says McDivitt, From

    what I could tell, the object resembled a beer can with a cylinder

    protruding rom the top o it. McDivitt turned the photos over

    to NASA, who never returned them.

    On August 23, 1973, singer/songwriter John Lennon was in his

    high-rise apartment on New Yorks Manhattan Island, when he

    and his girlriend, Mae Pang, both observed a large circular

    object . . . shaped like a fattened cone cruise slowly past their

    balcony. Lennon called the police, who told them that they had

    already received dozens o calls reporting the same UFO.

    World-amous boxer Muhammad Ali claims to have seen UFOs on

    several occasions, usually star-like objects. Says Ali, The closest

    one happened when a cigar-shaped ship hovered briefy over a

    car I was a passenger in . . . What a sight that was.

    Sammy Davis Jr. observed several UFOs in Palm Springs, Calior-

    nia. Says Davis, First they would stand still, and then they would

    take o and stop again, beore nally shooting away in a fash.

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    Over the next three days, dozens o other residents and more police

    ocers also viewed the object as it hovered over the marshes. The AirForce was alerted, but denied any knowledge o the case.

    As i angry at being ignored, the UFOs returned with a vengeance.

    The next day, on March 22, 1966, more than 80 students at Hillsdale

    College observed a large, unknown glowing object move in darting

    patterns over the Ann Arbor swamplands. Also present were civil de-

    ense authority William Van Horn and Kelly Hearn, journalist and

    dean o Hillsdale College. When the UFO reused to leave, the police

    were called and ocers viewed the crat. As the crowd watched, the

    UFO seemed to show o its ability to maneuver quickly around the

    area. Van Horn observed the object through binoculars and told re-

    porters, It was denitely some kind o vehicle.

    By now, the Michigan sightings had become ront-page news

    across the nation. The Air Force could no longer saely ignore the

    situation and sent their astronomical consultant, J. Allen Hynek, to

    investigate. Ater almost no investigation, Hynek held a press con-erence and announced that the sightings were probably caused by

    swamp gas. The public became outraged and the Air Force was

    accused o trying to cover up the sightings. J. Allen Hynek, who

    had previously sided with the Air Force, began to wonder i per-

    haps he had made a mistake. He later let the Air Force and wrote

    two best-selling books about the UFO phenomenon, criticizing the

    Air Forces policy o debunking good cases, and stating without any

    doubt that UFOs are real.13

    pOlice chAse

    Meanwhile, the cases continued. Less than one month later, two Ohio

    police ocers would become the center o a huge controversy ollow-

    ing their incredible encounter with a UFO on a lonely road late at

    night. Many witnesses regret seeing a UFO not because o the E.T.s,

    but because o how society reacts. These two police ocers learned

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    this the hard way. The ordeal began just beore dawn on April 17, 1966,

    when deputies Dale Spaur and Wilbur Ne were alerted by their localstation to be on the lookout or a UFO that was reportedly heading

    in their direction. Moments later, the ocers were shocked to see a

    50-oot wide, metallic saucer-shaped object with a dome on top. They

    could hear no noise except or a sot hum. The object glowed brightly

    and sent down a powerul beam o light. Said Spaur, I had never seen

    anything this bright beore in my lie.

    The ocers radioed to their superiors that they had the UFO in

    sight. The dispatcher told them to keep the object in view while he

    sent another squad car with camera equipment.

    At that point, the UFO began to move east toward Pennsylvania.

    Ocers Spaur and Ne ollowed the object. Soon, they were racing

    along at more than 90 miles per hour. Incredibly, whenever they ell

    behind the UFO, it appeared to slow down and wait or them. Mean-

    while, other ocers had also sighted the object and joined the chase.

    The UFO continued to play a cat-and-mouse game with the policeocers, eventually leading them nearly 90 miles away. At this point,

    the ocers were running low on gas and had to give up the chase.

    They notied Pittsburgh Airport, who said that they had picked the

    object up on radar, though this was later denied.

    Meanwhile, news reporters had been monitoring police transmis-

    sions and knew about the whole encounter. So, when deputies Spaur

    and Ne returned to their station, the reporters were already wait-

    ing. The encounter became ront-page news. The Air Force sent BlueBook ocers to investigate. They concluded that the ocers had only

    been chasing the planet Venus! The explanation caused public out-

    rage. A judge and ormer congressman called the explanation ridicu-

    lous. Ohio Congressman William Stanton said, The Air Force has

    ailed in its responsibility. Even Project Blue Book consultant J. Allen

    Hynek disagreed with the Air Forces explanation.

    Unortunately, deputies Spaur and Ne were ridiculed mercilessly,

    and both eventually lost their jobs. Says Spaur, I I could change all

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    that I have done in my lie, I would change just one thing, and that

    would be the night we chased that damn saucer.Ne agreed, I that thing landed in my backyard, I wouldnt tell

    a soul.14

    By now, so many encounters were occurring that the media couldnt

    keep up. Numerous citizen UFO groups ormed such as the National

    Investigative Committee o Aerial Phenomenon (NICAP) and the

    Aerial Phenomenon Research Organization (APRO), both o which

    collected and studied literally thousands o cases. Meanwhile, the Air

    Forces Project Blue Book was ollowed by several other governmen-

    tal investigations. At the same time, there was a change in the UFO

    phenomenon itsel. In the 1940s and 1950s, there were many sightings

    over power stations, military bases, and other technological installa-

    tions. Investigators Coral and Jim Lorenzen successully predicted

    sightings that occurred over many such bases. However, in the 1960s

    and 1970s, the phenomenon began to escalate. For the rst time, wide-

    spread reports came in o UFOs landing and strange-looking guresexiting the crat. Ater this came reports o abductions, also called close

    encounters o the third kind. Some o these amazing cases are covered in

    later chapters, but the 1970s and beyond brought many more incred-

    ible sightings worth investigating.

    The early 1970s produced only scattered high-prole sightings. In

    1973, however, a large wave o UFO activity hit the United States. One

    case that stands out above the rest is known as the Coyne Encounter.

    the cOyne encOUnter

    On the evening o October 18, 1973, Captain Lawrence Coyne and

    his crew o three Army ocers were on a routine training fight in a

    helicopter over Columbus, Ohio. Suddenly Captain Coyne noticed a

    red light rom the east, coming directly towards them. Says Coyne, I

    looked to my right, through the right window, and I observed the light

    coming at a very ast speed, in excess o 600 knots.

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    Coyne attempted to radio nearby Manseld Airport, but he got

    no reply. He put the helicopter into an emergency dive and all ourocers braced or impact. Instead, they suddenly became enveloped

    in an eerie, bright red light. Looking up, they could see the object

    was hovering 500 eet directly overhead. The UFO then shined down

    a green beam o light on the men, and seconds later it zoomed away.

    As the UFO let, Captain Coyne realized his helicopter was being

    beamed upwards at a rate o 1,000 eet per second. He regained con-

    trol and leveled out at 3,500 eet. Six minutes ater the UFO let, their

    radio again began to unction, and they returned to base. Unknown to

    the ocers, witnesses on the ground also observed the entire incident.

    The case was later thoroughly investigated and no explanation was

    ound. To this day, the incident remains unexplained.15

    BlAck dUst

    One o the most unique encounters rom the 1980s occurred on the

    Nullabor Plain, in a remote area o Australia. On January 20, 1988,

    the Knowles amily, including Fay Knowles and her three sons and

    their two dogs, drove along a desolate road at around 4:00 a.m.when

    they saw a strange light ahead o them on the highway. At rst they

    thought it was a large truck, but as they approached, they realized it

    was a large egg-shaped object that gave o an intense white light. As

    the Knowles amily drove by, the strange object started to pace their

    car. Then it started to maneuver around the car, nearly causing themto have an accident. At one point, the object seemed to leave, but then

    suddenly, the unthinkable happened. The object returned and actually

    landed on top o the car!

    The amily heard a loud clunking noise and elt the car shake.

    Suddenly, the entire vehicle was lited up o the road. Mrs. Knowles

    reached out her window and touched the object, which she said elt

    spongy and rubbery. She pulled her hand back in, and it was covered

    with strange black dust. Suddenly, the entire car lled with the black

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    Figure 2.3 In 1988, the Knowles family of Australia encountered a UFO thatlanded on top of their car and lifted it up into the air. (Kesara Art)

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    dust. At the same time, the Knowles heard a loud humming noise and

    the dogs started to panic. The amily then elt very disoriented, as itime had slowed down. They ound it dicult to speak or be heard by

    each other.

    Ater a ew moments, the car slammed back down onto the pave-

    ment, popping one o the rear tires. Fay Knowles brought the car to a

    screeching stop, and the amily fed. Meanwhile, the UFO remained

    above the car or a ew moments and then darted away.

    Unknown to the Knowles, a trucker just a ew miles down the high-

    way also observed the strange object as it sent down what appeared to

    be beams o white light.

    The Knowles amily was extremely traumatized and the police

    were notied. Somehow the media heard about the sensational case

    and the Knowles became overnight, reluctant celebrities. Despite the

    physical evidence o their encounter (including strange indentations

    on the roo o their vehicle and the weird black dust), the amily was

    ridiculed intensely in the press. Although they never backed down orchanged their story, they later said that they regretted coming orward

    because o how they were treated.16

    the phOenix lights

    One o the most widely viewed UFO sightings in history occurred on

    the evening o March 13, 1997, over the city o Phoenix, Arizona. For

    several weeks, strange lights had been seen over the area. But on March13, a massive black triangular-shaped crat few at low altitude over the

    city and was viewed by commercial pilots, air trac controllers, police

    ocers, and thousandso puzzled citizens. The object was videotaped

    and photographed. The Phoenix Lights stunned the nation. Where

    normally most UFOs seemed to hide, this UFO apparently wanted to

    be seen.

    Concerned witnesses called up nearby Luke Air Force Base, but

    personnel there denied having any inormation about the sighting. Air

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    Force ocials then reused to investigate. The controversy exploded,

    and theories ranged rom military fares to secret military crat. Author

    and researcher Lynn Kitei, M.D., collected hundreds o testimonies

    and launched an extensive investigation. Her book, The Phoenix Lights,

    chronicles the entire event. Writes Kitei, When the display came over

    the mountains o North Phoenix and moved over the city, thousands

    o people saw it. The route the mysterious lights took that night can

    be ollowed by tracking the 911 calls that came into the Phoenix police

    departments . . . Obviously something spectacular happened on theevening o March 13, 1997, throughout Arizona, but what? Unortu-

    nately, as with most UFO stories, the mystery remains.17

    A WidespreAd sighting

    One o the most exciting and recent sightings occurred on January

    5, 2000, over central Illinois. It all began at 4:00 a.m. when trucker

    Melvern Noll o Highland, Illinois, saw a strange object foat over-head. He said it looked like a two-story house . . . it had white lights

    and red blinking lights. Noll saw that the UFO was heading toward

    the city o Lebanon, so he called the Lebanon police department. O-

    cer Ed Barton was dispatched to the scene and was shocked to see

    the UFO hovering at a low altitude over the city. Barton radioed the

    sheris station and told them he had the object in sight. Said Barton,

    Its not the moon and its not a star.

    Meanwhile, other police ocers were monitoring the radio re-quencies. Six miles southwest, a police ocer in Shiloh reported to

    his station that he too could see the UFO. Thirteen miles urther

    southwest in Millstadt, police ocer Craig Stevens went looking or

    the UFO and ound it moving slowly over the city. Stevens radioed

    his superiors, telling them, Its huge . . . its kind o V-shaped. He

    jumped out o his squad car and quickly snapped a photograph.

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    Figure 2.4 UFOs come in many different shapes and sizes. Here are some of theshapes of UFOs reported by eyewitnesses around the world. (Kesara Art)

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    More citizens also reported seeing the UFO. When newspaper

    reporters discovered that so many police ocers saw the UFO, thesighting became ront-page news. Researchers later conducted a ull-

    scale investigation. While the most popular explanation was that the

    UFO was a secret military aircrat rom nearby Scott Air Force Base,

    ocials at the base denied any involvement and said that their airport

    and control tower were actually closed at the time o the sighting.

    Why do UFOs sometimes hide, and sometimes seem to want to

    be seen? Some researchers eel that the E.T.s are trying to get hu-

    manity used to their presence. Others say that humanity is not ready

    or open, ocial contact, and that is why the UFOs show themselves

    only briefy. As is oten the case with UFOs, there are more ques-

    tions than answers.18

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    W UFO la

    Just ater sunset on September 12, 1952, several children playing

    outside their homes in Flatwoods, Virginia, saw a bright faming

    object move across the sky and suddenly land on a nearby hill a hal

    mile away. When the weird glowing object stayed there, six o the

    children decided to get closer. They started the 15-minute hike to

    the landing spot. Along the way, two o the boys, Edison and Fred-

    die May, stopped at their house and told their mother that they weregoing with their riends to see a landed fying saucer. Their mother,

    Kathleen May, was skeptical, abut also curious. She said, Youre not

    going by yoursel! It was just getting dark, so she grabbed a fashlight

    and joined the boys.

    By now it was already dark. The group o six children and one adult

    crept towards the glowing object. As they approached, they could see that

    the object was sphere-shaped, and was pulsating with light. The whole

    area around the crat was oggy. Whatever it was, it wasnt normal.Suddenly, one o the children thought he saw something glowing in

    one o the trees just ahead o them. Kathleen May shined her fashlight

    up and everybody screamed. Floating in ront o them was a 12-oot

    tall robotic-looking creature with glowing red eyes, a teardrop-shaped

    head, and a cylindrical body with antennae coming out o the sides.

    Says Freddie May, It was big . . . it was scary.

    3

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    Figure 3.1 On September 12, 1952, a group of six children and one adultencountered this 12-foot tall robotic creature hovering next to a landed UFO on ahilltop in Flatwoods, Virginia. (Kesara Art)

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    The strange creature also gave o a horrible stench. As soon as

    May shined the fashlight on the creature, beams o light came out oits eyeballs and it lit up like a Christmas tree. Then it foated quickly

    toward the rightened witnesses.

    Everybody turned and ran down the hill screaming. Nobody

    looked back as they fed back into their homes. Kathleen May quickly

    called the police, and investigators instantly converged on the scene.

    They ound strange markings on the ground and a strange odor still

    hung in the air. The media picked up the story and the case soon

    became widely known. To this day, nobody has been able to explain

    the incident o the Flatwoods Monster.

    A simple sighting o a UFO is called a close encounter o the rst

    kind. A close encounter o the second kind is when a UFO physi-

    cally aects the environment, such as causing a cars engine to stall.

    However, what happens when UFOs land and aliens exit the crat?

    These cases are termed close encounters o the third kind. There

    have been literally thousands o reported UFO landings across theworld. More than 2,000 o these cases involve physical trace evidence

    o the landing. The Flatwoods Monster case is only one example.

    Many other equally shocking cases exist. What makes landing cases

    so interesting is that they make the usual Air Force explanations o

    misperception or hallucination much harder to accept. These UFOs

    are no longer even UFOs; they are unidentied landedobjects. For

    the rst time, people were getting a good look at who was piloting

    these UFOs.19

    the BrUsh creek UFO lAnding

    In February o 1953, miners John Van Black and John Allen were work-

    ing outside their titanium mine near Brush Creek, Caliornia, when

    they saw a metallic saucer hovering over the area o the mine. Dur-

    ing the next our weeks, the saucer returned our times. It was obvious

    to the men that the object was interested in their titanium mine.

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    On May 20, Black saw the amiliar-looking saucer hovering about

    200 eet above the creek next to the mine. Ater the object let, Blackound several strange, ve-inch ootprints around the area.

    One month later, on June 20, Black approached the area when he

    saw what he thought was a small child with a bucket. Looking closer,

    he saw it was a small man wearing green pants, unusual shoes, a jacket,

    and a green cap. He was very pale and had black hair. Says Black, He

    looked like someone who had never been out in the sun much.

    Black watched as the man scooped up water with a strange cone-

    shaped bucket. The gure then heard Black approaching and ran back

    into the saucer, which promptly took o and disappeared.

    Black reported the event to the police. The story was leaked to the

    press and crowds o people showed up at the mine, hoping that the

    UFO would return again. Unortunately, it never did, and the Brush

    Creek UFO landing remains a mystery. It seems clear, however, that

    the UFO was interested in the titanium mine.20

    the QUArOUBle, FrAnce UFO lAnding

    Some UFO cases impress investigators because they involve convinc-

    ing physical evidence. On the evening o September 10, 1954, actory-

    worker Marius Dewilde o France was about to make UFO history. He

    went outside to investigate why his dog was barking. To his surprise,

    he could see a large, strangely shaped object had landed on the railroad

    tracks behind his home. Suddenly, he heard ootsteps approaching. Hegrabbed his fashlight and shined it toward the sound.

    To his shock, he saw two creatures such as I had never seen be-

    ore. The gures were each three eet tall, with large helmets and

    one-piece outts like the divers wear. Realizing that the gures

    werent human, Dewilde turned to chase them. At that point, a beam

    o light shot out o the object on the railroad and hit Dewilde. As he

    says, I closed my eyes and tried to yell, but I couldnt. It was just as i I

    had been paralyzed. I tried to move, but my legs wouldnt obey me.

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    The strange gures ran back into the object. The beam o light

    went out and the crat took o straight up and disappeared. Dewildewent straight to the police and reported his encounter. At rst the

    police didnt believe him. But then more reports o sightings and land-

    ings in the area came in.

    First the police and then the French Air Force decided to inves-

    tigate. They returned to the area and were shocked to nd that the

    wooden railroad ties where the UFO landed had deep impressions

    on the surace, as i they had supported a heavy weight. Research

    later showed that the object must have weighed about 30 tons! Also,

    the gravel in the area had been exposed to extremely high tempera-

    tures. Today, the case remains a classic landing trace case, and is

    still unexplained.21

    the hOpkinsville gOBlins

    One o the most amazing close encounter cases o all times occurred

    on the evening o August 22, 1955. The Sutton amily o Hopkinsville,

    Kentucky, was minding their own business when a spaceship landed

    in their backyard. Moments later, a short gure with large eyes, huge

    elephant-like ears, and a slit-like mouth appeared. It had long arms and

    legs and was dressed in silvery clothing. Frank Sutton quickly grabbed

    a shotgun and red at the creature.

    The bullet appeared to hit the creature, but it just ell down and got

    back up and ran away. They crept outside to investigate when suddenlythe creature appeared on the roo o the house and grabbed at one o

    the amily members. They shot at the creature again, but it just foated

    slowly down and scampered away.

    Meanwhile, more o the strange creatures appeared and began to

    creep around the house, appearing and disappearing. Finally, the Sut-

    tons had enough. They piled into their car and raced to the police

    station. The police were amazed to see an entire amily who were

    obviously shaken up and scared by something. They returned to in-

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    vestigate. As they approached, they saw a strange lighted object dart

    away. However, the creatures were gone.This case is interesting because it shows just how varied the many

    dierent E.T.s are. While many reports o extraterrestrials can be

    categorized into various types, many other cases seem to involve to-

    tally unique E.T.s. The Hopkinsville goblins are a perect example.

    Coral and Jim Lorenzen o the Aerial Phenomenon Research Orga-

    nization (APRO) later researched the case. They ound the witnesses

    credible and concluded that the amily had seen something not rom

    this world.22

    the sOcOrrO incident

    On April 24, 1964, a New Mexico police ocer named Lonnie Zamora

    was chasing a speeding car down the highway when he saw a white

    fame in the distance and heard a strange explosion. He decided that

    he better investigate, so he stopped chasing the speeder and began todrive towards the source o the disturbance.

    As he approached the area, he was shocked to see something liter-

    ally out o this world. A giant, white egg-shaped object with a strange

    symbol on the side had just landed in a eld. Standing next to the crat

    were two short humanoid gures about the size o a young boy or a

    small adult dressed in weird white jumpsuits. The two gures quickly

    climbed into the crat, which took o with a roaring fame. Ocer

    Zamora hid behind his squad car as the crat roared overhead anddisappeared into the sky.

    Zamora quickly alerted the other ocers and an ocial investiga-

    tion ollowed. The United States Air Force and the FBi both inves-

    tigated the case. At the landing site, they discovered several deep im-

    pressions in the ground. There was also a dark burned section where

    the crat had taken o. Finally, strange metal samples were recovered

    rom the site. NASA scientist Dr. Henry Frankel conducted an analy-

    sis o the metal and ound that it was composed o an unusual alloyo zinc and iron. Incredibly, this alloy could not have been made on

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    earth, and the scientist concluded, This nding denitely strength-

    ens the case that might be made or an extraterrestrial origin o theSocorro object.

    Types of E.T.s

    One o the most shocking things about UFOs is the huge varietyo dierent E.T.s. There are literally hundreds o dierent kindso E.T.s reported. Fortunately, investigators have narrowed the reports

    down to a ew main categories.

    Grys: Three to ve eet in height, large dark eyes, large hairlessheads, small acial eatures. May be two dierent types, short and

    tall. Believed to originate rom Zt-Rticui.

    Nordics: Six eet in height, human-looking, blond hair, muscular

    bodiescould pass or human. May originate rom the Pleiades.

    Prying Mntis: Six to eight eet in height, with an appearance

    like a giant grasshopper or praying mantis insect. Origins

    unknown.

    Rptiion: Six to nine eet in height with an appearance like a

    giant lizard. Also known as Reptoids. Theorized to originate rom

    inner earth.

    Dwrs: Also known as short humanoids, three to our eet tall,

    sometimes human-looking, strong, sometimes hairy.

    T Humnoids: Seven to nine eet in height, human-looking,

    though with larger eyes and sometimes hairless heads. Very rarely

    reported.

    Roots: Three to 12 eet in height, variously described as metallic

    with colored lights, oten in the shape o a person or cylinder.

    1

    2

    3

    4

    5

    6

    7

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    Figure 3.2 Here are some of the most commonly reported types of E.T.s. Upperrow from left to right: Pleiadian/Nordic, Tall Humanoid; Second row from leftto right: Praying Mantis, Short Gray, Tall Gray; Bottom row from left to right:Robotic, Reptilion/Reptoid, Dwarf/Short Humanoid. (Kesara Art)

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    Because o the physical evidence, Zamoras case generated huge in-

    terest. Further research revealed several other witnesses who also sawthe UFO as it darted away. Hector Quintanilla, who headed the Air

    Force investigation, wrote, There is no doubt that Lonnie Zamora

    saw an object which let quite an impression on him . . . He is puzzled

    by what he saw, and rankly, so are we. This is the best documented

    case on record.

    Investigators later discovered that the symbol on the side o the

    crat was the Arabic symbol or Venus. Could this have been the ori-

    gin o the UFO crat? While astronomers have discovered that Venus

    is too hot to sustain lie, perhaps the E.T.s have used their technology

    to build a base there. And in act, E.T.s have claimed to have bases in

    various places on earth and other planets.23

    the FAlcOn lAke UFO lAnding

    One o Canadas most amous UFO landings occurred on May 20,1967, with prospector Stephen Michalek bearing witness. On that day,

    he was in the wilderness near Falcon Lake, Manitoba in Canada when

    he saw two red glowing, cigar-shaped objects in the sky.

    Suddenly, one o them swooped down and landed 160 eet away.

    Michalek could see it was about 35 eet in diameter. A door opened,

    and he could see strange colored lights fashing inside. He crept closer

    until he heard weird voices coming rom inside. Thinking maybe it

    was an experimental Russian crat, he asked in Russian, Do you speakRussian? When he got no response, he tried ve dierent languages.

    Still there was no response.

    Michalek then decided to get closer. He walked right up to the crat

    and looked through the opening. He saw a bright maze o lights

    on a panel, all fashing in dierent sequences. Suddenly, the opening

    quickly closed and the crat took o straight up.

    Michalek elt a blast o hot air and his shirt was set on re. Almost

    immediately he started to eel very sick. He was rushed to the hospital

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    where he began to suer a number o alarming symptoms including

    a headache, diarrhea, weakness, dizziness, vomiting, hives, numbness,swelling o joints, eye irritation, and burns. He was unable to keep any

    ood down and lost 22 pounds. His blood lymphocyte level decreased

    rom a normal 25 percent to a dangerous 16 percent. More than 27

    doctors examined Michalek, and the only explanation that seemed to

    t was exposure to radiation. 24

    the delphOs, kAnsAs UFO lAndingA signicant portion o UFO encounters involve children and teenag-

    ers, perhaps because they spend a lot o time outdoors. On November

    2, 1971, 16-year-old Ronald Johnson was doing chores in his backyard

    near Delphos, Kansas. Suddenly, he heard a loud rumbling sound.

    Turning around, he saw a giant mun-shaped object covered with

    blue, red, and orange lights, resting on a beam o light about two eet

    o the ground and only 75 eet away. The object was about eight eetwide and glowed so bright, it hurt Ronalds eyes to look at it.

    Ronald called or his parents. At that moment, the object quickly

    darted away, knocking over a tree and taking o up into the sky.

    Ronalds parents came out in time to see the strange object dart south-

    wards across the sky. At the same time, two o the neighbors had also

    observed the object land and take o.

    At this point, everyone noticed that the area where the U