Historical figures, scientists, reporters, musicians, US Senators and even a mountain climber in the Himalayas have joined the ranks of those who have reported UFO sightings.
Alexander the Great
With his army in the Middle East during the approximate time 329 BCE, the general reported attacks on his army during the Seige of Tyre when two huge silver shields spitting fire came from the sky and dove down at the infantry, elephants, and horses as they attempted to ford a river. The army panicked and withdrew but made a successful crossing the following day. He also reported a similar incident in 329 BCE where the attackers came from the skies and disappeared back into the sky.
Christopher Columbus
On the night of October 11, 1492 at about 10 PM, Columbus was patrolling the decks of the Santa Maria. He knew he was close and was expecting to see land at almost any time now. His servant was with him when he saw "a light glimmering at a great distance" according to the ship's logs. They watched as the light vanished and reappeared several times during the night. Each time they observed that it danced up and down "in sudden and passing gleams." There was never an explanation for the incident, but they spotted land within four hours.
Clyde Tombaugh
This professional American astronomer discovered Pluto in 1931, and also saw several other interesting objects during his career. In 1949 at Las Cruces, New Mexico, he described a glowing rectangular object which he had never seen before or since. He said he was so unprepared for such a strange sight that he was almost petrified with astonishment. By 1956 he noted that he had seen three objects in the previous seven years which defied any explanation of known scientific phenomenon. He felt that several reputable scientists are unscientific in refusing to entertain the possibility of extraterrestrial origin and nature.
Walter Cronkite
This anchorman worked for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962-81) and earned the title of "the most trusted man in America." In the 1950's he was one of several news reporters working on a small South Pacific island to record the test launch of an Air Force missile.
The Air Force allowed no video or audio recordings of the event. They all observed a large saucer-style UFO suddenly appear on the scene as the launch was set off. The gray, metallic disk was 50-60 feet in diameter and hovered about 30 feet off the ground. Suddenly the missile exploded and stunned the entire group. The Air Force representatives were confused and embarrassed. Finally an Air Force officer addressed the crowd and told them that it was all part of the test which was staged to gauge their reaction to UFOs.
US Senator Richard Russell
In October, 1955, Senator Russell from Georgia was traveling across the Transcaucasus region of Russia with two companions when they saw a revolving disk rise vertically at a slow speed to an estimated altitude of 6000 before it sped off to the north. A second disk joined it about a minute later. The observers said that they observed no visible exhaust and heard no noise associated with the UFOs.
John Lennon
Lennon was in residence in his New York apartment on August 23, 1974 with his personal secretary, May Pang. At the time he was separated from Yoko Ono. He made reference to this experience on the album cover to "Walls and Bridges."
Suddenly a large circular object approached them on their terrace. It looked like a "flattened cone with a large red light on top," according to Pang. There was a circle of flashing white lights around the rim of the disk. Their brilliance made it impossible to detect any details of the UFO. She compared it to the size of a Lear jet and said the UFO was silently flying at a height of about seventeen storeys above street level. Lennon's photos turned out to be overexposed. The excited former Beatle called the police and they advised him to remain calm because others had also observed the craft.
Reinhold Messner
UFOs have also explored the Himalayan Mountains. The News World (New York)/United Press International, Oct. 10, 1981, under the title "Climber sees Himalayan UFO" made this report. One of the world's most accomplished mountaineers, Italian born Reinhold Messner, reported observing a UFO in 1981. He compared it in size to that of a full moon and observed it for nearly three hours while he was climbing Mount Chamlang in the Himalayas. The UFO approached Nepal from Tibet.
His partner, Doug Scott, a British schoolteacher, also saw the object as did a Polish-British expedition nearby. Messner insisted that it could not be a satellite because their movements are smooth. This object moved in an irregular manner.
Other Observers
Astronaut/Senator John Glenn, US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and several US astronauts including Gordon Cooper, Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and others are also on record with their historic UFO observations. Seventeen years of over 12,000 UFO reports have been collected in the annals of Project Blue Book which ran from its inception in 1952 until its termination in 1969.
Sources:
- Beyond Earth: Man's Contact With UFOs by Ralph Blum and Judy Blum; Bantam Books; 1975
Diane Evans - I am a retired civil engineer as well as a member of Sisters in Crime and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
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