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Historical Sightings.
Just recently there have been numerous reports in both press and television claiming to have solved the UFO mystery as prototypes of secret aircraft under development by the US
military! Frequent sightings of a bizarre triangular craft seen over the north of England have all been explained in these terms, and an article in the News of the World claimed that "most flying saucers
sighted in the second half of this century were man-made"!
There may well be some truth in these claims. The Stealth Bomber is one case in point, and secret aircraft must surely account for a percentage of UFO sightings, even if this percentage
is not so great as we are being asked to believe! Obviously though it makes for a ready made excuse for a put-down that becomes difficult to deny! That's partly why historical sightings are s important. No chance
here of triangular objects being explained as the latest secret aircraft - not that is unless they also perfected the art of time travel.
Age-Old Phenomenon
The truth is this planet has always been visited by strange craft, and it is the consistency of these reports, and the descriptions given that make the whole UFO mystery so beguiling!
Cave Art
Since the very earliest times these sightings have captivated the minds of all those privileged to see them. Cave art depiction's of saucer like craft, and other flying objects of
unknown identity, plainly show this is no new phenomenon! The caves of Altamira in Spain, La Pasiega, Niaux, and Les Trois Freres in France all feature curious hub-like objects, that look impressively like modern
day drawings of UFO sightings! At Niaux the drawings feature a saucer like object with what looks like a vapour trail following on behind it! In his book "Beyond Earth" author Ralph Blum comments
that in the caves at Ussat in France, "an object remarkably like our Lunar Module, complete with ladder and antennas, stands on four crane legs, and beneath it as though to give the scale is an erect human
figure."
In our feature entitled The Culture Bearers ancient societies believed they had
received their wisdom and knowledge from intelligent beings who had come from the skies. Indian mythology is especially rich with these accounts of what they termed Vimanas - flying chariots - capable of unleashing
fearful weapons with "the power of all the universe"!
Historical sightings.
The Roman writer Livy tells of a "flying altar" that once appeared in the sky, and the historian Pliny the Elder speaks of peculiar lights which he called "suns of the
night"! In his epic work Historia Francorum, 584 AD, the Bishop of Tours in France, is perplexed by curious "domes and golden globes that raced across the sky". Two centuries later in AD 779, Agobard,
the Archbishop of Lyon made written reference to celestial region that people of the day had come to know as Mangonia! This was a place where strange ships sailed to in the clouds carrying away amongst other things
"those fruits of the earth which are destroyed by hail and tempests".
Abduction Account.
Although the Archbishop was outwardly contemptuous of the whole story, calling it a great "stupidity" he nonetheless gives an extensive report of the subject! He even talks of
an abductee account, of three men and a woman about to be stoned, having "fallen from these same ships"! The four claimed to have been carried away by miraculous men who showed them marvels and wonders,
and upon their return were told to tell of the majesty they had seen! Unfortunately what they had to say was taken as sure proof of them having consorted with the devil, for which they would no doubt have died.
Happily for them however, the Archbishop persuaded all concerned that the entire episode was just an illusion, and that what they had seen was clearly impossible! In his words "truth prevailed", and their
lives were spared!
Japanese Encounter.
In Japan in 1271, the appearance of a bright object in the sky at the planned execution of the well known priest Nichiren, led to general panic! The event was interpreted as an
unfavourable omen and the lucky priest was allowed to go free!
Earthenware vessels.
Interestingly enough, a full eight centuries before the term "flying saucers" was made popular, contemporary accounts from Japan in the 11th century speak of "earthenware
vessels" of astonishing luminosity flying through the air!
Official Enquiry.
The Japanese are also credited with having undertaken the first organised inquiry into the UFO phenomenon which they viewed with considerable alarm. The Japanese believed that the
appearance of these objects heralded the coming of serious events and disasters! In 1235 therefore, General Yoritsume ordered a scientific investigation of these bizarre sightings! He and his men had watched
mysterious lights swirling around their encampment and were desperate for answers! However the operation Blue Book of its day ended with a rather less than scientific answer! The cause of these lights? "It
is only the wind making the stars sway"!
The wind must have been blowing amazingly hard in Japan because throughout the Middle Ages "curious signs", and "flying wheels" together with yet more
"earthenware vessels" continued to strike fear and dread into the hearts of the populace!
Dangerous Belief.
In the Middle Ages belief in extraterrestrials bought you a quick ticket to burn at the stake! The sixteenth century scientist Giordano Bruno met with just such a fate with his
apparently innocent suggestion that: "There are also countless earth's turning around their suns, neither worse nor less inhabited than our globe!"
Understandably people were rather less than eager to report strange aerial phenomenon lest they too be carted off to the stake! Even so UFO's continued to be reported in the sort of
language that left no doubt as to their devilish origins! It was probably in this way that "witches on broom sticks" became a popular and accepted manner of describing these curiosities!
Nor were the clergy at all immune to these sightings! In 1254, monks at St Albans in Hertfordshire were treated to the sight of a "kind of a ship, large, elegantly shaped and well
equipped, and of a marvellous colour!" Nearly forty years later in 1290 monks at Byland Abbey in Yorkshire are said to have seen strange round discs in the sky! The Anglo Saxon Chronicles of AD 793, tell of
"fiery dragons seen flying through the air"!
The Black Hats of Tubingen.
From Tubingen in Germany the year 1577 brought a baffling manifestation of weird black hats that were seen in the heavens! A publication of that time remarks: "Out of these clouds
have come forth reverberations resembling large, tall and wide hats, and the earth showed itself yellow and bloody and seemed to be covered with hats, tall and wide, which appeared in various colours such as red,
blue, green, and most in black!" Of course in outline, especially when seen in silhouette hats are not too different from saucers or "earthenware vessels". In other words the modern day UFO's that
have challenged man's imagination through countless generations!
Great Thinkers.
These aerial perplexities became the preoccupation of several great thinkers! Paracelsus, the great alchemical genius of the 15th century felt particularly attracted to the subject! A
popular notion of the day was to see the explanation in terms of elemental beings occupying a plane of existence between man and the angels.
The ancient Greeks looked on these beings as the "daimonas", from where we derive our own word demon! To the Hebrews they were the Sadaim! According to an old French book
entitled A Treatise of The Secret Sciences, " these demons were held to be an Aerial Race, ruling over the Elements, mortal, engendering, and unknown in this century to those who rarely seek Truth in her
ancient dwelling place, which is to say the Cabala and in the theology of the Hebrews, who possessed the special art of holding communion with that Aerial People and of conversing with all these Inhabitants of the
Air".
Paracelsus wrote a complete manuscript on the subject but thought it hazardous to make contact with these beings! In his book "Why These Things Appear to Us" he wrote:
"Everything God creates manifests itself to Man sooner or later..... Thus these beings appear to us, not in order to stay among us, but in order for us to become able to understand them"!
Jerome Cardan.
The well known mathematician Jerome Cardan (1501-1576) wrote of a peculiar incident his father often talked about! Apparently he had once been confronted by strange beings wearing
clothing resembling ancient Greek togas! In all there were seven of these beings, "about forty years of age"! According to Cardan "their lives were much longer than ours, and might even reach to three
hundred years duration." These men seemed to have great knowledge and wisdom but were reluctant to share it. Writes Cardan: " When my father asked them why they did not reveal treasures to men..... they
answered that it was forbidden by a peculiar law under the heaviest penalties for anyone to communicate this knowledge to men."
Astronomer Royal.
Today professional astronomers would surely think twice about reporting strange objects in the sky but in 1882 attitudes were not quite so stuffy! In the autumn of that year Greenwich
astronomer Walter Maunder was looking out across London from Greenwich Observatory when he became aware of a strange circular disc. Maunder later published an account of his sighting in "The Observatory"
magazine, which was in response to a request by the Royal Astronomical Society to name the most remarkable thing he had ever seen in his long career.
According to Maunder: "A great circular disc of greenish light suddenly appeared down in the East-North-East.... and moved across the sky as smoothly and steadily as the sun, moon,
stars and the planets move, but nearly a thousand times as quickly!" Maunder explained that the circularity of its shape was simply the effect of foreshortening and that later the object became " that of a
very elongated ellipse.."
Strange Sphere.
In 1783, the scientist Tiberius Cavallo was a witness to a sighting that also stunned Royal guests at a celebration to mark the birth of the 15th son of King George 111 and Queen
Charlotte! A luminous object appeared from beneath a cloud and soon became brilliantly lit before coming to a halt. According To Cavallo"s account of the incident: "This strange sphere seemed at first to
be pale blue in colour, but its luminosity increased and soon it set off again towards the east." Even though the sun was shining the object is said to have lit up everything on the ground and eventually
disappeared with a terrific explosion!
In the summer of 1881 while cruising in the waters off eastern Australia, the two sons of the Prince of Wales were thrilled to see a large flying object! In their book "The Cruise
of the Baccante", they described what they'd seen as "a fully illuminated ship"! (of the sky)
Johann Goethe.
In September 1768 the German poet, dramatist, author and scientist Johann Goethe was himself a witness to a strange luminous object. He was journeying from Frankfurt to Leipzig by
stagecoach. At one point the rough uphill track was so treacherous from mud and rain that the passengers were forced to alight and follow on behind! It was then that Goethe suddenly became aware of lights in the
ravine below them. Writes Goethe: All of a sudden, in a ravine on the right hand side of the track, I saw a sort of amphitheatre, wonderfully illuminated. In a funnel-shaped space there were innumerable little
lights shining, ranged step- fashion over one another; and they shone so brilliantly that the eye was dazzled. But the sight was even more confusing because these objects did not keep still, but jumped about here
and there, as well as downwards from above!"
With no parallel experience to form a comparison Goethe concluded: "Now whether this was a tumult of will-o'-the-wisps, or a company of luminous creatures I will not decide."
UFO waves.
Intense periods of UFO activity seem to have been just as prevalent in the past as they are today! One such period was a UFO outbreak over the western United States! Literally hundreds
of strange craft were seen flying through the skies! One outbreak in Kansas City Missouri was witnessed by an estimated 10,000 people!
Also in 1897, Alexander Hamilton, A member of the United States House of Representatives signed a sworn statement claiming to have witnessed a cigar shaped craft over 300 feet long that
landed on his farm! And remember all of this happened long before man had taken to the skies! A full hundred years or more before the Stealth Bomber was even dreamed of! So yes, UFO's have been around for a very
long time! In fact since man first looked up at the skies. That is well before any secret US project was around to confuse things even further!
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