17 Strangest UFO Reportings in the World
From eerie lights in the sky to full-blown alien abductions, there’s no lack of reports that extraterrestrials not only exist but have visited our planet. While many so-called sightings are easy to write off or explain, some leave even the most skeptical scratching their heads.
The truth is that several reported alien sightings defy standard explanations. In some cases, there are hundreds of witnesses, and in others, the witnesses are exceptionally credible, often bearing military credentials.
While that doesn’t mean aliens are real, it certainly makes these sightings more intriguing. As these 17 events show, we’re far from explaining everything that happens in our universe.
1: The Basel Broadsheet
Alien sightings aren’t limited to modern history. There are several reports from the ancient world of bizarre astronomical events, and even after humans gained a basic understanding of science and the stars, strange occurrences persisted.
In 1566, people observed dozens of black and white objects floating in the sky over Basel, Switzerland. One witness recorded the event in picture form on a document known as “The Basel Broadsheet.”
2: Mystery Airships
The first publicized UFO sighting in the United States occurred in 1896, according to American Heritage. Between 6 and 7 PM, hundreds of people in Sacramento, California, reported seeing “an electric arc lamp propelled by some mysterious force.” The next day, it was seen in San Francisco.
Planes had not yet been invented, and witnesses noted the strange ship traveled into the wind, which meant it could not be a balloon. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the event, initially claiming it was the work of a local, wealthy inventor. However, the “inventor” later recanted his story, and the Chronicle issued a revised report that left the origin of the mystery ship a mystery.
3: Betty and Barney Hill
One of the most well-known and strangest UFO stories is that of Betty and Barney Hill. The Hills were driving on a dark road in New Hampshire in 1961 when they claimed a bright light began to follow them.
The Hills claimed they were abducted and are unsure of what happened that night. The next thing they remember, it was daylight, their clothes were torn, and their watches had stopped working.
4: The Lizard Man
In a Vanity Fair report, psychotherapist Barbara Lamb detailed seeing a reptilian being. Lamb was an avid crop circle researcher who often traveled to England for her studies. However, the lizard man didn’t appear to her in an English field; it was in her living room in Claremont, California.
She described the creature as being tall with yellow eyes. And, though she admitted she was not typically fond of lizards or snakes, she felt oddly unafraid. She reached out to touch the reptile man’s hand, and he swiftly disappeared.
5: The First Flying Saucers
No one can say what private pilot Kenneth Arnold saw as he flew past Mt. Rainier in 1947. Still, his description of the events changed the world’s vocabulary. It’s thanks to his alien sighting that we have the term “flying saucers.”
On a pleasant June afternoon, the experienced pilot was searching for a crashed Marine transport plane when he saw a bright flash. At first, he thought the flash was from the downed plane, but then, as more flashes appeared, Arnold realized it was coming from multiple objects in the air.
He said he watched as a formation of nine objects, flying faster than any plane was capable at the time, passed Mt. Rainier. Though he denied ever calling the odd-shaped ships flying saucers, reporters used the term when covering the story.
6: Zimbabwe School Children
In 1994, 60 schoolchildren in Zimbabwe reported seeing UFOs near the playground. The odd flying crafts reportedly landed, and children interacted with the aliens inside.
Though many have dismissed this event as a case of mass hysteria, strange lights were sighted throughout the country at the same time. Some even reported seeing ships in the air as far away as South Africa.
7: Britain’s Roswell
Many refer to the Rendlesham Forest Incident as “Britain’s Roswell.” While some consider it a legend, on par with stories of King Arthur and the Lochness Monster, many believe there must be some truth in the tale, especially given the witnesses in question.
In December of 1980, several U.S. military personnel stationed in the forest reported seeing strange lights. They went to investigate. What they found may have been an alien spaceship covered in strange hieroglyphs, or it could have all been a prank by the British military.
8: The Real Roswell
In 1947, the U.S. Army sent out a press release that shook the nation. In it, they said they had recovered a “flying disc” from a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico.
Reports are conflicted about what really happened in the small New Mexico town, but some things are confirmed. We know a rancher found wreckage on his property, which was brought to the attention of the U.S. Army. We also know the Army quickly retracted its initial report about finding a flying disc and said, instead, that they’d recovered a weather balloon.
Many remain skeptical of the Army’s changed report. Theories about what they really found range from a Soviet spy device to actual alien lifeforms.
9: O’Hare’s Flying Saucer
The FAA called it a weather phenomenon, but the twelve airline employees who spotted a flying craft over O’Hare International Airport aren’t so sure. On November 7, 2006, just before a United Airlines flight was set to take off, employees said they saw a metallic shape hoovering over the gate.
They all reported that the shape hung in the air for several minutes before shooting up into the clouds at an unimaginable speed. Oddly, the event did not register on the airport’s radar.
10: The Melbourne 350
It was the largest mass sighting of a UFO in Australia, but many still remain skeptical of witness claims. In the incident known as the Melbourne 350, 350 witnesses at Westall High School, including both students and staff, watched as five planes tried to corral and capture a UFO.
The planes surrounded the UFO for a few moments before it reportedly fled at breakneck speeds. Students and teachers claim they were instructed never to speak about the incident.
11: Broad Haven Primary School
The village of Broad Haven in Wales is sometimes described as the “Bermuda Triangle,” of alien sightings. There are more than 450 reports of extraterrestrial encounters in the small, remote town.
In 1977, a group of playing school children claimed to see alien lifeforms. Teachers were skeptical of the claims, so they separated the kids and asked each of them to draw what they saw. All of the children drew the same picture of a flying saucer.
12: Valentich Vanishes
“That strange aircraft is hovering on top of me again. It is hovering, and it’s not an aircraft.” Those were the last known words of twenty-year-old pilot Frederick Valentich.
Valentich was flying his plane off the coast of Cape Otway in October 1978 when he sent the final transmission to air traffic control. After those chilling last words, Valentich and his plane disappeared and have never been found.
13: The Real Men in Black
It’s said that what happened to Fred Crisman and Harold Dahl inspired The Men in Black movies. As the story goes, Dahl was with his son and dog on the waters of Puget Sound when they spotted six strange aircraft overhead. Metal debris then fell from the sky, killing Dahl’s dog and injuring his son.
After Dahl told his work supervisor, Fred Crisman, what happened, men in black suits appeared. They told them never to speak of the incident again.
14: Aliens Over the Pentagon
In 1952, seven UFOs appeared in secured air space over the Pentagon. The event was captured on film and the crafts registered on radar.
The U.S. government quickly sent jets to investigate, but as they approached, the unknown aircrafts disappeared from the radar. When the jets were grounded, the UFOs reappeared.
15: The Exeter UFO
Norman Muscarello was just a scared 18-year-old when he went to police in Exeter, New Hampshire, to report a UFO. He had been hitchhiking along the highway when eerie red lights came flying towards him. Muscarello said he jumped into a ditch to avoid being hit.
When police went to investigate, they surely believed they would uncover a logical explanation. However, they were met with the same red lights traveling at top speeds. The event became so famous that the town continues to hold a renowned UFO festival each year.
16: French’s Drowned UFOs
Lieutenant Colonel Richard French was tasked with explaining away the UFO phenomena that so many reported in the 1950s. Unfortunately for him, he went on to witness alien aircraft.
At a Citizen Hearing on Disclosure in 2013, French revealed he witnessed two downed UFOs in the waters off St. John. He claimed to see aliens fixing the downed vessels and then flying off.
17: Commander Fravor’s Tic-Tacs
Retired Navy Commander David Fravor reported seeing “tic-tac-like” flying objects floating in the sky off the coast of Southern California in 2004. Fravor said advanced ship radar had picked up aerial objects descending at over 80,000 miles per hour, and they had taken to the air to investigate.
Fravor later testified to the sighting in a hearing with White House lawmakers. He also spoke about the event in numerous interviews, including 60 Minutes.
Are There Really Aliens?
Alien sightings have become a part of U.S. culture and now hold a place in modern folklore. However, their existence is hotly contested. While some believe the evidence of their previous visits is overwhelming, others believe there are more likely explanations.
According to the Pentagon, there is “no evidence” of UFOs. In a recent report covering sightings from 1945 to 2022, Pentagon researchers said they “found no evidence that any U.S. government investigation, academic-sponsored research, or official review panel has confirmed that any sighting of a UAP represented extraterrestrial technology.”
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