A small chronology of UFO sightings and evidence of contacts with aliens in the 17th - 19th centuries. These events were reflected in historical documents and became official milestones in the development of ufology.
1566 - many UFOs (balls)
The Zurich Central Library contains an engraving illustrating an event that took place in Basel on August 7, 1566. It depicts people watching a multitude of balls flying rapidly across the sky; some of them are black, others are white. Natural phenomena of this kind are unknown.
1645 the first report of a human abduction by an alien
1663 - fireball
Promotional video:
On August 15, 1663, parishioners of a church on the shores of Lake Robozero near the Russian city of Belozersk saw a fireball enveloped in blue smoke. The peasants in boats chased the ball, which hovered over the lake, flashing, then dying, but they were stopped by the heat. The glow was so bright that the water became transparent, and when the UFO flew away, a brown ash sediment remained floating on the surface.
1678 - crop circles
The woodcut, confirmed by historical records and dated August 22, 1678, illustrates the legend of the devil-reaper. The engraving depicts a flaming object against the night sky over oat fields in Hertfordshire, England. The next morning, a farmer discovered a neatly mown area in a field that resembled crop circles that had spread throughout the world in the 20th century.
1824 light pulses on the moon
French astronomer Camille Flammarion reported that at 5 a.m. on October 20, 1824, strange electrical light pulses were observed on the lunar surface. Subsequently, many similar observations were made.
1845 UFO sighting
On June 18, 1845, a luminous body, five times the size of the moon, slowly flew over Malta. The object was visible for an hour.
1866 - UFO green
On October 21, 1866, an emerald-colored ball swiftly flew over the outskirts of Hoboken, New Jersey, and then an unusual "rain" of greenish liquid fell.
1871 - Old Manuscript on Alien Observation
Report of a meeting with the inhabitants of another world by William Robert Lusley with a foreword and commentary by David Langford Science historian David Langford described this incident as genuine in his book.
Subsequently, the manuscript was recognized as a falsification, the author of which was Langford himself. However, some still believe that, on the contrary, his exposure was falsified. In the photo "Report of the encounter with the inhabitants of another world by William Robert Lusley with a foreword and commentary by David Langford"
1880 huge balloon
On March 26, 1880, a huge hot air balloon flew over Galisteo Junction, New Mexico. On board, strange crew members were seen speaking in an incomprehensible language. A sheet of paper with oriental symbols depicted on it fell to the ground. Later, a Chinese man appeared in the city, claiming that this balloon was the first airship in the world. This incident marked the beginning of a wave of UFO sightings that swept the world, which lasted more than 30 years.
1880 - luminous UFO in China
According to the chronicles of the Chinese province of Son-Qi Xian, on May 8, 1880, the peasant Zhu Tang saw a luminous UFO in the bushes. The stricken eyewitness became numb and lost consciousness. He woke up two weeks later on a mountain, almost 450 kilometers from his native village, not remembering anything about what had happened during this time. Perhaps Zhu Tang became the victim of one of the abductions so popular today, since in many modern cases a similar scenario of events is described.
1883 - the first photograph of a UFO
On August 12, 1883, Jose Bonilla, an astronomer at the Zacatecas Observatory in New Mexico, took the first photograph of a UFO. Mysterious arachnid objects fly by against the background of the sun. Bonilla claimed that they left glowing trails in the sky, but appeared dark against the background of the shining solar disk. The astronomer categorically denied the version that it could be insects or birds.
1896 - contact with aliens
On November 25, 1896, Colonel Shaw, while riding a horse near Lodi, California, noticed three tall, thin creatures with large eyes and traces of hair on their bodies. They carried an egg-shaped lamp and tried to kidnap Shaw and his companion, but they did not have the strength to carry the two people away. The creatures disappeared into the airship hovering above the ground. An eyewitness called the creatures Martians; this was the first time in history to be recognized for contact with aliens.
1897 - UFO disaster
On April 17, 1897, a silver cigar crashed into a hillside near Aurora, Texas. At the site of the fall, according to reports that have come down to us, a Martian was found, who was buried in a local cemetery. No evidence has been found to support this story, despite extensive searches conducted today.
1897 - animal abduction
On April 23, 1897, Kansas farmer Alex Hamilton claimed that an airship had stolen a cow from his herd by lifting it into the air in front of several eyewitnesses. The story is still cited by many ufologists as true, although in 1943 a theory arose that the story was invented by members of the local liars' club, taking advantage of the hype around airships.
