Our Strange Skies: UFOs Throughout History

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111: The 1965-67 Series, Part 3: 1967, Complete with UFO Paranoia and Weirdness with Ashley Hilt Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

As silent wings hovered over the TNT area north of Point Pleasant, the big gray birdman would soon be replaced with bright luminous lights, and mysterious men driving brand new Cadillacs, asking strange questions to Mothman witnesses.

1967 would be the weirdest year of the flap. With humanoid and UFO reports on the rise, intense men in black type activity would accompany the witnesses all throughout the country, along with poltergeists and strange phone calls. The first cattle mutilation case of our modern mythos was reported in September. A new wave of contactees appeared that summer to cause chaos and confusion. In New York, a strange tale would unfold in one neighborhood in Scotia. And what was up with Ohio residents hitting anomalous things with their cars?

This week, Fortean Investigator, filmmaker and co-host of On Wednesdays, We Talk Weird, Ashley Hilt, joins the pod to discuss the 67 flap, what a Men in Black car show would look like, and robotic humanoids directing traffic in Connecticut.

Sources:

“The Cape May Incident” by John Keel Flying Saucer Review Special Issue #2 1969

The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel

“UAO Struck By Automobile in Ohio” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin July-August 1967

UFOs and the National Security State: Chronology of a Coverup, 1941-1973 by Richard M. Dolan

“West Virginia’s Enigmatic ‘Bird:’ A Special Report” by John Keel Flying Saucer Review 1968 V 14 N 4

“‘Beanpot’ Photo Taken in Indiana” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin January-February 1967

The 1967 HUMCAT Index

“Outstanding 1967 Report” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin September-October 1969

“UFO events in Missouri 1857-1971” by Ted Phillips Flying Saucer Review Case Histories N 8 1971

Searching for the String: Selected Writings of John A. Keel Edited by Andy Colvin

“29 Sight UFOs Over White Sands Range” El Paso Times 05 Mar 1967

“The White Sands Incidents” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin March-April 1967

“Humanoids Seen at Butler” by Robert A. Schmidt Flying Saucer Review 1968 V 14 N 5

“Youth’s Car Strikes UAO Occupant” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin March-April 1967

“UFO Occupant Reports” by Brian C. Cannon Canadian UFO Report 1971 V 2 N 2

“Mystery on the Mohawk” by Jennifer Stevens, Flying Saucer Review Special Issue N 2 1969

“The Glendale, California, Contact Claim” by John A. Keel Flying Saucer Review Special Issue N 2 1969

“Flap Continues in the States” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin September-October 1967

The Utah UFO Display by Frank B. Salisbury

“The World’s Most Incredible UFO Contact Case” by Ray Norton SAGA April 1970

Operation Trojan Horse by John A. Keel

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110: The 1965-67 Series, Part 2: 1966, The Coming of the UFO Monsters with AP Strange Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

On August 29, 1965 headlines across the country all read “UFO Prober Says There’s Nothing to Indicate Any UFOs Extraterrestrial.” Air Force Major Hector Quintanilla, a physicist and head of the Project Blue Book, made a statement following the huge spate of UFO sightings across the country that month. There were calls that summer for a new probe into the government’s handling of the UFO mystery, including statements by a young Stanton Friedman who believed there was a mathematical likelihood that we were being visited by beings from another planet.

1966 was the year that stretched the Air Force's credibility to it's breaking point in Dexter-Hillsdale, the year that would lead to a chase stretching from Portage County, Ohio into Pennsylvania, the year that a monster walked the streets of Erie, P.A., and the year of the Garuda, the arrival of the Mothman.

The enigmatic AP Strange joins the pod again to talk about the arrival of the monster in 1966.

Sources:

“North America 1966: Development of a Great Wave” by John A. Keel Flying Saucer Review 1967 V 13 N 2

“UFOs; Delusions or Dilemma?” by Berthold E. Schwarz Flying Saucer Review Special Issue N 2 1969

1966 66-05 HUMCAT

“The Perfect Apparition” by John A. Keel Flying Saucer Review 1971 V 17 N 3

The Mothman Prophecies by John Keel

“Michigan Furore” by Charles Bowen Flying Saucer Review 1966 V 12 N 3

Air Force Quizzes Temple Man on ‘Flying Fish-Shaped Object’” The Lawton Constitution, March 24, 1966, Pg. 1

“Air Force Quizzes Temple Man on ‘Flying Fish-Shaped Object’” The Lawton Constitution, March 24, 1966, Pg. 2

“Flying Saucer Season Erupts Across Nation” The Lawton Constitution, March 25, 1966, Pg. 1

“Flying Saucer Season Erupts Across Nation” The Lawton Constitution, March 25, 1966, Pg 2

“Deputies Tail ‘Flying Object’ in High-Speed Pass Over City” Mansfield News Journal April 8, 1966, Pg 1

“Deputies Tail ‘Flying Object’ in High-Speed Pass Over City” Mansfield News Journal April 8, 1966, Pg 12

“Coastal UFO List Said Not Impressive” Corvallis Gazette-Times Oct 18, 1966

“New Landing and Creature Reports: Sightings in Erie, Pennsylvania” by John A. Keel Flying Saucer Review 1966 V 12 N 6

UFOs; Delusion or Dilemma? by Berthold Eric Schwarz, M.D. Flying Saucer Review Special Issue 1969 N 2

“West Virginia’s Enigmatic ‘Bird’: A Special Report by John A. Keel” Flying Saucer Review 1968 V 14 N 4

Theme song:

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109: The 1965-67 Series, Part 1: 1965, The Turning Point with Kay Gray Jul 11, 2022

Show notes

1965 is often viewed as a turning point in ufology. Up until that time, the press had largely dismissed UFO reports at the behest of Project Blue Book and their downplay of UFO reports. 1957 was the last time that the press had really looked upon the subject in a favorable light, but things would change 8 years later.

In August of 1965, an explosion of UFO activity would be reported in Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Washington. The phenomenon would not be ignored.

There were hoaxes, harmful UFOs, humanoids, a trio of which resembled beer cans, there were trips around the galaxy aboard UFOs, and so much more.

Kay Gray, from the Haunted Mitten, joins me to laugh through the terror and fascination that was 1965.

Sources:

“Opposition Flap 1965/Two New Contact Claims” Flying Saucer Review 1965 V 11 N 3

“Postscript to Two New Contact Claims/James Flynn Encounter in Florida” Flying Saucer Review V 11 N 4

“The Greatest Flap Yet? – Part 1” by Jerome Clark Flying Saucer Review 1966 V 12 N 1

“The Greatest Flap Yet? – Part 2” by Jerome Clark Flying Saucer Review 1966 V 12 N 2

“The Greatest Flap Yet? – Part 3” by Jerome Clark Flying Saucer Review 1966 V 12 N 3

“The Greatest Flap Yet? – Part 4” by Jerome Clark Flying Saucer Review 1966 V 12 N 6

“The Florida ‘Landing’ Incident The A.P.R.O. Bulletin March-April 1965

“Healing from UFOs (Deputy Robert Goode)” by Gordon Creighton Flying Saucer Review 1969 V 15 N 5

“Man Injured in UAO Encounter” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin May-June 1965

“The Heflin Photographs” by Ralph Rankow Flying Saucer Review 1968 V 14 N 1

“Are Psychic People More Likely to See UFOs?” by Janet Bord Flying Saucer Review 1972 V 18 N 3

“UFO Occupants in United States Reports” by Coral Lorenzen Flying Saucer Review Special Issue N 1

1965 HUMCAT

“Outer-Space Ghost Stories” by John G Fuller Look February 22, 1966

Theme song:

"Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify

Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg

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108: The Soria Abduction with Willow Truman Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

In February of 1978 a man known only as Julio F packed up his car, his dog and his .22 rifle and headed out into the woods to hunt for hare. Almost immediately, everything got weird. From the start, he took a direction he never intended to. He stopped at a "wayside bar" that wasn't normally opened this early for breakfast and was directed to a hunting site by the strange man that ran Hostal 113. The last thing Julio F remembered was speeding toward his destination.

Not long after, Julio's brother, Manuel, would catch a presentation by José Luis Jordán Peña, a man who became synonymous for devising one of the greatest hoaxes of all time, the UMMO affair. While we only briefly touch upon this great hoax, Julio F's story becomes wrapped up into the world of UMMO, leaving you with question surrounding his story, and whether he experienced something extraordinary, or was a victim at the hands of Jordán Peña.

This week I'm joined by Willow Truman of the Nonsense Bizarrepodcast to discuss aliens that look like Megamind, Argentinian music, "Pine Smell," and the lives that Jordán Peña ruined. (the Nonsense Bizarre's episode about UMMO is finally out and can be found here)

Sources:

“The Soria Abduction: Or – The Hunter Hunted. Part 1” by Antonio Ribera Flying Saucer Review 1985 V 30 N 3

“The Soria Abduction: Part 2” by Antonio Ribera Flying Saucer Review 1985 V 30 N 4

“The Soria Abduction: Part 3 (Conclusion)” by Antonio Ribera Flying Saucer Review 1985 V 30 N 5

UMMO: the great UFO fraud forged in Spain Committee for the Study of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena

Julio F. Story of a Ufological Fraud El Ojo Crítico

UMMO AT BAY: Jose Luis Jordan Peña Discusses the Greatest UFO Hoax of the 20th Century Inexplicata

Theme song:

"Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify

Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg

T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona

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107: Our Strange Silencers (Tales of the Men in Black) with Aaron Gulyas Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

The Men in Black, MIBs, the UFO silencers; since the 1950s, UFO witnesses have reported encounters with shadowy figures who've threatened them into silence. Or as Nick Redfern puts it in his book, The Real Men in Black: “For years—or perhaps even for centuries — the Men in Black have been elusive, predatory, fear-inducing figures, hovering with disturbing regularity upon the enigmatic fringes of the UFO subject, nurturing their own unique brand of terror and intimidation. Like true specters from the outer edge, the MIB appear from the murky darkness, and roam the countryside provoking carnage, chaos, paranoia, and fear in their wake, before returning to that same shrouded realm from which they originally oozed.”

The Men in Black were born in a cold war age full of paranoia and deception, from the minds of two people: Albert Bender and Gray Barker. From there, these cloak and dagger menaces took on a life of their own as more and more witnesses came forward with tales of these strange silencers.

Aaron Gulyas of The Saucer Life and Great Lakes Lorepodcasts joins me to discuss the origins of the Men in Black and we trade off stories of encounters with these enigmatic figures.

Sources:

The Real Men In Black: Evidence, Famous Cases, and True Stories of These Mysterious Men and their Connection to UFO Phenomena by Nick Redfern

They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers by Gray Barker

Flying Saucers and the Three Men by Albert K Bender

Short clip of Carlos’ call to the radio tower in Mexico City, YouTube

“Captured in Mid Air: The Carlos Antonio de Los Santos” by Red Pill Junkie Case Mysterious Universe

“Carlos De Lost Santos and The Men in Black” by Jerome Clark Flying Saucer Review 1979 V 24 N 4

The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry by J. Allen Hynek

The Edge of Reality: A Progress Report on Unidentified Flying Objects by J Allen Hynek and Jacques Vallee

“The Man in Black Syndrome…1” by Berthold E. Schwarz Flying Saucer Review 1978 V 23 N 4

“The Man in Black Syndrome…2” by Berthold E. Schwarz Flying Saucer Review 1978 V 23 N 5

“The Man in Black Syndrome…3” by Berthold E. Schwarz Flying Saucer Review 1978 V 23 N 6

Otherworldly Encounters: Evidence of UFO Sightings and Abductions by Nomar Slevik

“Muscatine’s ‘men in black’ lurk on roads and online by Kyle Munson, Des Moines Register

“Who are those mysterious ‘Men in Black’ along Iowa roadways? Associated Press

“Mysterious ‘men in black’ sightings reported along Muscatine Co. roadways” by David Nelson TV 6 KWQC

Theme song:

"Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify

Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg

T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona

Check out my links here

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

106: Miniature UFOs with Astonishing Legends Jun 20, 2022

Show notes

On September 7, 1956, Thomas Hutchinson, a resident of Moneymore, Ireland, put a head lock on a miniature UFO that had landed on his property. Thomas attempted to escort the object to the police department, but after placing it on a bush, the object spun quickly and took off into the sky.

Stories of miniature UFOs, like Thomas Hutchinson's are often brief, no matter the means employed to capture it. On this episodes I'm joined by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess from Astonishing Legends to discuss stories of tiny UFOs, holes in roofs, an encounter in an Argentinian school room, and a pair of small objects that may have cause the disappearance of a Brazilian diamond prospector.

Sources:

The Saucers that Time Forgot

“The Mysterious Caconde Case” by Dr. Walter Buhler, FSR 1969 V 15 N 4

“The Brazilian Abduction” Translated by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1962 V 8 N 6

The Disappearance of Rivalino Mafra da Silva: Alien Abduction or Foul Play? Bizarre and Grotesque

Man Kidnapped by Globes, The A.P.R.O. Bulletin September 1962

“A Weird Case from the Past” by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1970 V 16 N 4

“Tiny Entities Reported in Colombia” by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1975 V 21 N 5

“Schoolroom ‘Landing’ in Loreto, Argentina” by Heriberto Janosch, FSR 1979 V 25 N 2

“A Wave of Small Humanoids in Malaysia in 1970” by Ahmad Jamaludin, FSR 1983 V 28 N 5

Source: “Mini-UFOs, Metal Pieces in Finland” The A.P.R.O. Bulletin Vol 28 N 5

Theme song:

"Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify

Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg

T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona

Check out my links here

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105: The UFOGnomes with Liminal Earth Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

They go by many different names and are found in cultures all throughout the world. Trolls, Leprechauns, the fae, various legends of “The Little People” in Native lore, The “Hidden People” of Iceland. But Today, we’re calling them gnomes. Specifically UFOGnomes.

Legends of little people have littered fairy-tales and literature for centuries. and sometimes they step out of UFOs. On this episode I'm joined by all three members of Liminal Earth to discuss those dapper little folks that step outside of UFOs and haunt the pages of books like Passport to Magonia.

Sources:

The UFO Abduction Book: Extraordinary Extraterrestrial Encounters of the Terrifying Kind by Brad Steiger

Fred Andersson on Twitter

“The Little Singing Creatures at Arc-Sous-Cicon” by Joël Mesnard, Flying Saucer Review 1973 V 19 N 1

“The Cennina Landing of 1954” by Sergio Conti, Flying Saucer Review 1972 V 18 N 5

“Encounter with ‘Devils’” by Joël Mesnard and Claude Pavy, Flying Saucer Review 1968 V 14 N 5

“The Little … Airman”: Another Remarkable C.E.III Case in Italy by Antonio Chiumiento, Flying Saucer Review 1983 V 28 N 5

“The Wollaton Park Gnomes” The Faery Folklorist

“Flying Saucer Crew Member attempts Telepathic Conversation” SBEDV Bulletin 104/111, May 75/August 76

“Flying Saucer Crew Member Floats on Air” SBEDV Bulletin 104/111, May 75/August 76

"The Winged Beings of Bluestone Walk" by Eileen Morris Flying Saucer Review 1979 V25 N 6

Theme song:

"Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify

Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg

T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona

Check out my links here

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104: Mysterious Beauty: Exploring the Hudson Valley's Paranormal Reputation with Professor WHAM Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

As a life long resident of the Adirondack region of Northern New York, books covering topics like ghosts and cryptids were slim. And aside from Night Siege, the Center for UFO Studies' examination of the Hudson Valley UFO flap of the 1980s, it was rare to find books about anomalous objects in the sky.

And yet to the residents of the Hudson Valley the area had a paranormal reputation. It was the location of Whitley Strieber's experiences in the cabin in 1985. It was the place where the Kinderhook blob was seen, the Hudson Valley Boomerang, and numerous Bigfoot sightings.

This weeks guest, Dr. CS Matthews, aka Professor WHAM, has been a resident of the Hudson Valley for over a decade. In her book, Mysterious Beauty: Living with the Paranormal in the Hudson Valley, newly released on Audible, she documents the strange experiences of the residents that live there, and examines the region's natural history, indigenous lore, and the experiences of early colonists.

We discuss her book, what inspired her to write it, and some of the fascinating cases detailed within the pages of Mysterious Beauty.

Theme song:

"Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify

Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg

T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona

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103: Raechel's Eyes: The Story of an Alien-Human Hybrid with Sam Fredrickson Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

CW: Domestic Violence, Childhood Sexual Assault

In 1994 Jean Bilodeaux, a field investigator for MUFON in California, received a phone call form a woman. The voice on the other end of the phone said, “May I talk to you? I saw a UFO.” The woman, given the pseudonym Callie initially called to talk about her own UFO sighting, but soon she began to discuss a young woman named Raechel, her daughter's roommate in college. What ensued was a decade long investigation to learn the truth about an alien-human hybrid who tried to blend in and become human.

The account was later published in a book entitled Raechel's Eyes: The Strange but True Case of a Human-Alien Hybridunder Callie's real name, Helen Littrell, and along with Jean Bilodeaux, the two presented an exhaustive investigation into Helen's memories, and evidence that Helen's daughter, Marisa, may have had a roommate that was an alien-human hybrid.

On this episode I'm joined by Sam Fredrickson of the Not Alone Podcast to discuss this fascinating and emotional story.

Theme song:

"Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify

Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg

T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona

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102: The Michelin Men with Steve Berg May 23, 2022

Show notes

When Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released to wide audiences, it was believed by some in the UFO community that it would have an impact on UFO reports. And yet it didn’t. CEIII reports continued to vary during a time when UFO contact wasn’t homogenous with reports of the grays, tall nordics and reptilian shape changers that has dominated much of UFO literature since the late 80s.

That’s not to say that culture has never influenced sighting reports. In 1947, with Kenneth Arnold’s encounter with 9 objects that flew “like saucers skipping across water,” the reports that followed were often similarly described objects. And as 1950s science-fiction drew its inspiration from the cold war, the contactees reported encounters with beings not dissimilar to Klaatu Barada Nikto.

Despite the influences of the period, pop culture archetypes didn’t show up in sighting reports with the exception of one. From the mid 1950s onward, witnesses from across the globe have reported encounters with beings that resemble The Michelin Man, that enigmatic mascot for the Michelin tire company.

Actor, writer, producer, and UFO investigator Steve Berg, known for his roles on The Good Place, Adventure Time, Drunk History, Tag, and the wonderful podcast, Voyage to the Stars, joins me to discuss these terrifying figures, their weird singular black boots, and why they suck so bad at walking on earth.

Sources:

The Secret History of the Michelin Man, Fast Company, 2014

The” Michelin Band” performs at the inauguration of the Michelin Hour radio show, April 17, 1928. [900x620], reddit

Case 55-05 of the HUMCAT (Humanoid Catalog)

Flying Saucer Review Case Histories #1

“STRANGE BEINGS NEAR JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA (CADIZ) IN 1960” by Miguel Peyró Garcia, A.P.R.O. Bulletin V 29 N 1, July 1980

Eyewitneses says they had contact with "michelin man" a like aliens, Extraterrestrial and Supernatural

“Contact Casualty on Réunion” translated by Gordon Creighton, FSR 1969 V 15 N 1

Sources: “Another Close Contact on Réunion - Part 1” by Lieut-Colonel Lobet, Flying Saucer Review 1979 V 25 N 2

Another Close Contact on Réunion - Part 2” by Lieut-Colonel Lobet, Flying Saucer Review 1979 V 25 N 3

“Rejuvenation Follows Close Encounter with UFO” by Pedro Romaniuk, FSR 1973 V 19 N 4

Phantoms and Monsters entry for Michelin Men

Theme song: "Ufo" by Floats, available on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify Logo designed by Megan Lagerberg T-Shirt Designs by The Great Desdymona Check out my links here

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