selected ufo cases
Famous People
The Phoenix Lights
March, 13, 1997 - Phoenix, Arizona, United States
The Phoenix Lights UFO incident is a complex series of events that took place on March 13, 1997 over the states of Nevada, Arizona, and possibly New Mexico, and which would quickly become known as the "Phoenix Lights" sightings. It involved sightings by tens, or perhaps even hundreds, of thousands of witnesses on the ground, and it gave rise to a storm of controversy over what had caused the event. View full report
Source: Peter B. Davenport, Director, National UFO Reporting Center ID: 270
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Mass Sighting, Silent, Photo, Witness Sketch, Famous Person, Witness Photo
U.S. Congressman and Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich sighting of large triangular craft in Washington state
September, 1982 - Graham, Washington, United States
Dennis Kucinich saw a large triangular craft over the home actress Shirley Macline in the 1980's. "He looked up, he saw a gigantic triangular craft, silent, and observing him. It hovered, soundless, for ten minutes or so, and sped away with a speed he couldn't comprehend." View full report
Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), Wall Street Journal, and other sources ID: 1177
Case Type: PressReport Features: Silent, Witness Photo, Famous Person
Reinhold Messner, famous mountain climber, sees moon-sized object while climbing in Himalayas
1981 - Katmandu, Nepal
Italian Reinhold Messner, one of the world's foremost mountaineers, said Friday he watched a UFO "the size of a full moon" for nearly three hours while climbing in the Himalayas. On his return to Katmandu after an unsuccessful attempt on 24,248-foot Mount Chamlang, he said he spotted the UFO as it drifted south into Nepal from Tibet over the mighty snowcapped mountains. View full report
Source: News World (New York) / United Press International, Oct. 10, 1981 ID: 942
Case Type: PressReport Features: Famous Person
John Lennon UFO sighting
August, 23, 1974 - New York City, New York, United States
John Lennon had a UFO sighting which occurred when he was with his personal secretary, May Pang, in New York. As May Pang recounts in her book, the "large, circular object [was] coming towards us. It was shaped like a flattened cone and on top was a large, brilliant red light... When it came a little closer, we could make out a row or circle of white lights that ran around the entire rim of the craft." View full report
Source: Rense.com (recounted in May Pang's book, 'Loving John') ID: 541
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Famous Person, Witness Photo
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Recounts Apollo 11 UFO Encounter
July, 18, 1969 -
Buzz Aldrin: "There was something out there that, uh, was close enough to be observed and what could it be? Mike (Collins) decided he thought he could see it in the telescope and he was able to do that and when it was in one position, that had a series of ellipses, but when you made it real sharp it was sort of L shaped. That didn't tell us very much." View full report
Source: The Science Channel / Dave Stone / Credit: UFO Updates - 9/30/2005 ID: 592
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Astronaut/Space, Famous Person, Witness Photo
President Jimmy Carter's UFO Sighting
January, 6, 1969 - Leary, Georgia, United States
Jimmy Carter is one of two U.S. Presidents who have reported seeing a UFO before becoming the President. He later said, "It was the darndest thing I've ever seen. It was big, it was very bright, it changed colors and it was about the size of the moon.. We watched it for ten minutes, but none of us could figure out what it was. One thing's for sure, I'll never make fun of people who say they've seen unidentified objects in the sky." View full report
Source: Grant Cameron, Presidential UFO ID: 294
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Famous Person, Witness Photo
Astronaut Gordon Cooper Witnesses UFO Landing at Edwards AFB
1957 - Edwards AFB, California, United States
"I had a camera crew filming the installation when they spotted a saucer. They filmed it as it flew overhead, then hovered, extended three legs as landing gear, and slowly came down to land on a dry lake bed! It was a classic saucer, shiny silver and smooth, about 30 feet across. It was pretty clear it was an alien craft." View full report
Source: John Cooke ID: 357
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Famous Person, Witness Photo
U.S. Senator Richard Russell Sees disc-shaped UFO in USSR
October, 13, 1955 - Russian Federation
U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr. (D-GA), then chairman of the Armed Services Committee, was on a Soviet train when he spotted a disc-shaped craft taking off near the tracks. He hurriedly called his military aide and interpreter to the window and they saw the UFO, plus another one that appeared a minute later. View full report
Source: UFOs at Close Sight (Patrick Gross) ID: 9
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Famous Person, Witness Photo
CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite's UFO Encounter in the South Pacific (1950's)
1950 -
In the 1950s Cronkite was part of a pool of news reporters brought out to a small South Pacific island to watch the test of a new Air Force missile... a large disc-type UFO appeared on the scene. Cronkite guessed that the object was about 50-60 feet in diameter, a dull grey color and had no visible means of propulsion. As Air Force guards ran toward the UFO with their dogs, the disc hovered about 30 feet off of the ground." View full report
Source: Bill Knell, UFO researcher ID: 1178
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Military, Witness Photo, Famous Person
Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh UFO Sighting (Astronomer Who Discovered Pluto)
August, 20, 1949 - Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
Clyde Tombaugh was the American astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto. On August 20, 1949, he observed a UFO that appeared as a geometrically arranged group of six-to-eight rectangles of light, window-like in appearance and yellowish-green in color, which moved from northwest to southeast over Las Cruces, New Mexico. View full report
Source: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia ID: 355
Case Type: MajorCase Features: Scientist/Engineer, Astronomer, Famous Person, Witness Photo
Christopher Columbus UFO sighting in 1492
October, 11, - Atlantic Ocean,
In 1492, Christopher Columbus and Pedro Gutierrez while on the deck of the Santa Maira, observed, "a light glimmering at a great distance." It vanished and reappeared several times during the night, moving up and down, "in sudden and passing gleams." View full report
Source: 'The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus' ID: 487
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Famous Person, Water-Related, Witness Photo
Edmund Halley, discoverer of Halley's Comet, sees UFO in 1676
March, - United Kingdom
Edmund Halley, the astronomer who discovered Haley's comet, could recall two accounts involving unidentified crafts. His first experience was in March of 1676, when he saw a, as he said, "Vast body apparently bigger than the moon." View full report
Source: The Bible UFO Connection ID: 492
Case Type: SummaryReport Features: Famous Person, Astronomer, Scientist/Engineer, Witness Photo
329 BC: Alexander the Great records two great 'flying shields'
329 BC - Central Asia,
Alexander the Great records two great silver shields, spitting fire around the rims in the sky that dived repeatedly at his army as they were attempting a river crossing. The action so panicked his elephants, horses, and men they had to abandon the river crossing until the following day. View full report
Source: Bruno Mancusi, UFO Updates mailing list, Apr. 18, 2003 ID: 491
Case Type: StandardCase Features: Famous Person, Witness Photo
