of visitation by alien civilizations in prehistory, there are many intriguing records of observations of aerial objects in documents dating back hundreds or thousands of years. Some people believe that these recorded observations are indications that aliens have been visiting Earth during relatively recent periods in history.
• Well within recorded history, the classical Chinese poet Chi Yuan, who lived around 300 B.C., wrote that one day after he had just finished visiting the grave of an emperor, a large jade “chariot” pulled by four fearsome dragons came down from the sky and landed near him. Chi Yuan climbed onto the miraculous vehicle and soon found himself being carried far to the west towards the holy Kun-Lun Mountains.
• Somewhat later, during Roman times, historian Pliny the Elder noted that in 66 B.C., a “spark” fell from a star and descended towards the Earth, grew as large as the Moon, then shank back to a small size and returned to the heavens.
• In 564 A.D., St. Gregory, Bishop of Tours in France, wrote that “golden globes” were seen flashing quickly across the sky.
• More than 500 years later in Switzerland, in 1104, objects described as “burning torches, fiery darts and flying fire” were seen in the air, along with “swarms of butterflies and little fiery worms” that “took away the light of the sun.”
• From 1211, there is a story that during Sunday mass in Kent, England, the congregation watched in amazement as an anchor dropped from the sky and caught on a tombstone. They looked up to see a strange ship hanging in the sky, with odd people looking over its side. One of these people jumped overboard and seemed to float downward as if swimming in water. When the churchgoers ran to grab him, he swam back up to the boat, cut the anchor rope and flew away. The anchor left behind was said to have been taken by a blacksmith and turned into scrollwork on the church pulpit.
• In November and December of 1388, historian Henry Knighton recorded that in Leicester, a “burning and revolving wheel” was seen moving in the sky.
Flying wheels are said to have been seen over the pyramids in ancient times.
• Strange lights and objects were seen by many residents of Nuremburg on April 4, 1561 — about 450 years ago. Records of the event suggest that a veritable “invasion” by a plethora of lighted objects created fear and trembling among peasants and lords alike. What actually was seen is impossible to guess at this late date.
Observations of fiery shields are recorded in historical documents.
• Only five years later over Basel, Switzerland, one morning the sky filled with black globes that danced about and became flame-red. They seemed to burn up and disappear before the eyes of many amazed residents.
• In Sheffield, England, on December 9, 1731, a “dark red cloud” appeared around 5:00 p.m. Underneath it was a second object, but this one was very bright and gave off bright rays of light. The rays moved about the sky and emitted a great amount of heat, forcing one observer to take off his shirt even though it was the middle of winter.
• When was the first flying saucer seen? On January 2, 1878, farmer John Martin was doing some hunting outside of Denison, Texas, when he saw a round, dark object hanging in the bright blue sky. He watched as the baseballsized object grew larger as it approached him, then looked away to rest his eyes. When he looked up again, the object was overhead, still continuing on its way, but was now, in his words, the size of a large “saucer” at a considerable height. It flew on and away from him until it was lost to sight.
• On July 30, 1880, a large bright object flew over St. Petersburg, moving in a triangular formation with two smaller objects. They moved together, without making any sound, across the city, remaining in view for three minutes.
UFOS AND ALIENS IN LITERATURE
War of the Worlds (1898) may be the best-known alien invasion story, depicting profoundly alien aliens bent on conquering Earth. Orson Welles’ radio broadcast of it in 1938 sent people running panicked into the streets, and the several movie versions of it have done reasonably well in the cinema. The technologically superior Martians are defeated not by humans, but by something unexpected: the invaders all die when their immune systems fail to protect them from Earth bacteria and viruses, from which the Martians had no protection.
North America experienced what has come to be known as The Great Airship Wave between about 1896 and 1898. Many unusual aerial objects were reported floating or hovering in the skies, usually with accompanying descriptions of airships or gondolas suspended underneath large balloons. The reports were well-documented, with many articles and some books devoted to the phenomenon.
Accounts of observations of these objects appeared in literally hundreds of small-town newspapers across the continent. Some of the stories included personal narratives of meetings with the occupants or inventors of the vehicles. The strange craft often had bright lights or “headlights” that dazzled their observers, noiselessly sailing overhead and leaving as mysteriously as they came. Many of the stories were eventually determined to have been hoaxes written by newspaper editors in an attempt to boost circulation.
The first sightings considered part of the wave were reported in the fall of 1896. The Sacramento Bee carried a story on November 17, 1896, that a bright light was seen by hundreds of people. The light was too distant for most observers to distinguish its shape, other than that it resembled a globe and travelled on an undulating course through the sky, against the prevailing wind, “like a ship through water.” Other witnesses described an oblong or ovoid shape with propellers or a fan with a moveable light that swung back and forth, playing on the ground below. The witnesses were divided on whether the passenger cabin was on top or beneath the craft. Whatever it was, the strange craft remained visible for nearly half an hour. Embellishments and speculation abounded, with some people claiming they heard voices coming from the craft, either laughing or giving orders to whoever was at the controls. The builder of the aerial vehicle was thought to be an inventor who lived in the Sacramento or San Francisco area and was highly secretive about his remarkable machine because his device had not yet been patented.
The Decatur Daily Republican of April 16, 1897, noted that on the previous night, an airship landed near Springfield, Illinois. Farmhand John Halley and local vineyard owner Adolf Wenke said that it landed five kilometres west of the city along the Jefferson Street road. They said a long-bearded man then emerged and inquired what town he was near. Halley noted: “Inside the car was seated another man and also the scientist’s wife.” He said they usually rested during the daytime in remote parts of the country in order to conceal the vessel’s huge wings. When they asked the scientist his name, “he smiled and pointed to the letter M., which was painted on the side car.” After bidding the farmers farewell, he pressed a button and the ship flew off.
The Chicago Times-Herald for Tuesday, March 30, 1897, noted:
The mysterious air ship was seen again last night by a number of Omaha people. It hovered in sight about the time church services were over and in half an hour had disappeared.
This time the “air ship” came into view in the southeastern portion of the horizon. It was in the shape of a big bright light, too big for a balloon, and glowed steadily.
It sailed over
