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Historical UFO Quotes

Mattweb

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Summary: The following quotes and excerpts are from various sources. I can't be certain of the validity or the accuracy of translation in all of them, but these are some of the more interesting ones I have come across and thought they should be included.

ca. 12,000-10,000 BC--Sino-Tibetan Border
"The Dropa [name given to visitors from Sirius] came down from the clouds with their airgliders.  Ten times, the men, women and children of the Kham [a Tibetan clan or tribe of some sort] hid in the caves until sunrise.  Then they understoodthe signs and saw that the Dropa came in peace this time."
-This quote comes from a claimed translation by Japanese Prof. Tsum Um Nui (this is a chinese version of his name. I don't know his Japanese name.) of several strange stone discs found in the Baian-Kara-Ula mountain range of Tibet.  This is a very interesting story, but I don't have alot of good information, so I'm not sure what to think of it. For more info. check out this siteand this site.

ca. 15th century BC--Egypt
"A circle of fire coming in the sky, noiseless, one rod long with its body and one rod wide. After some days these things became more numerous, shining more than the brightness of the sun."
-From a series of Egyptian Heiroglyphs on a papyrus dated to the reign of Thutmose III (1504-1450 BC)

643 AD--Japan
"Five colored banners and umbrellas shone in the sky, and descending, hung over the Temple to the sound of various music."
-A Japanese writing of unknown*(to me) origins.

ca. 800 AD--France
"These beings were seen in the Air in human form, sometimes in battle array marching in good order, halting under arms, or encamped beneath magnificent tents; sometimes on wonderfully constructed aerial ships, whose flying squadrons roved at the will of the Zephyrs..."
-Agobard, Archbishop of Lyons, France.  The only source I have on this quote is some website I visited once where I cut and pasted it and forgot the address, so you may take it with a grain of salt.

September 24, 1235 AD--Japan
"The whole thing is completely natural, General, it is only the wind making the stars sway."
-This statement was made to General Yoritsume by a group of astronomers he assigned to investigate lights in the sky that appeared to be "swinging, circling and looping" over his military camp throughout the night and into the early morning.

ca. 1290 AD--Yorkshire, England
"A large round silver thing like a disk flew slowly over them and excited the greatest terror."
-From a report written by monks at the Byland Abbey in Yorkshire

November-December, 1394--England
"A certain thing appeared in the likeness of fire in many parts of...England...every night. This fiery apparition, oftentimes when anybody went alone, it would go with him, and would stand still when he stood still....To some it appeared in the likeness of a turning wheel burning; to othersome round in the likeness of a barrel, flashing out flames of fire at the head; to others in the likeness of a long burning lance."
-From an unknown*(to me) English source

1453--Constantinople
"A fire descended from the sky, stood over the City, and enveloped her with light all night long."
-Written during the Turkish siege of Constantinople

December 5, 1577--Tubingen, Germany
"[Objects came out of the clouds] resembling large, tall and wide hats and they landed in great numbers and in a variety of colours."
-This quote comes from Pierre Boaistuan's 1594 book, chronicling strange happenings.  My source (The UFO Encyclopedia) reports that sightings of entities also accompanied this event, but goes into no detail.

August 30, 1895, about 8pm, England
"[I saw a] brilliant luminous body which suddenly emerged over the tops of the trees before me on the left and moved eastward across the sky above and in front of me. It's appearance was, at first glance, such as to suggest a brilliant meteor, considerably larger than Venus at her greatest brilliancy, but the slowness of the motion...made one doubt whether it was not some artificial firework....I watched....as it continued its course toward the eastern horizon. It did not explode, emit any spark, or leave any train or track; but it became rapidly dimmer...and finally disappeared behind a tree....The fact that it so perceptibly grew fainter as it receded seems to imply that it had not a very great elevation....[Its] course was slower than any meteor I have ever seen."
-An account by the distinguished lexicographer and philologist, James Augustus Henry Murray of an object he observed while walking across the Oxford University campus. (Note: This is similar to an occuranceI witnessed a couple of years ago in Bedford, Texas.)

November 25, 1896, California, USA
"When [the mysterious light] first appeared it was seen moving rapidly from the northeast and heading in a southwesterly direction. As it neared the southern boundary of the city [of Sacramento] it turned directly toward the west and after passing the city went south, being distinctly visible for upward of 20 minutes."
-From the San Francisco Call, Nov 26, 1896--This light was observed by many prominent individuals including Deputy Secretary of State George A. McCalvy, District Attorney Frank D. Ryan, and E. D. McCabe, the governor's personal secretary.

November 26, 1896, California, USA
"[The Airship] looked like a great black cigar with a fishlike tail....The body was at least 100 feet long and attached to it was a triangular tail, one apex being attached to the main body. The surface of the airship looked as if it were made of aluminum, which exposure to wind and weather had turned dark....The airship went at tremendous speed. As it neared Lorin it turned quickly and disappeared in the direction of San Francisco. At half past 8 we saw it again, when it took about the same direction and disapeared."
-From a description by electrician Case Gilson who allegedly observed the airship with three other men. Reported in the Oakland Tribune, Dec 1, 1896

February 28, 1904, Korea
"[Three objects] appeared beneath the clouds, their color a rather bright red.  As they approached the ship they appeared to soar, passing above the broken clouds.  After rising above the clouds they appeared to be moving directly away from the earth.  The largest had an apparent area of about six suns.  It was egg-shaped, the larger end forward.  The second was about twice the size of the sun, and the third, about the size of the sun.  Their near approach to the surface appeared to be most remarkable.  That they did come below the clouds and soar instead of continuing their southeasterly course is also curious.  The lights were in sight for over two minutes and were carefully observed by three people whose accounts agree as to the details."
-A sighting by the U.S.S. Supply off of the eastern coast of Korea, as reported by then Lt. Frank H. Schofield, later to become Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet.

July 2, 1907, 2pm, Vermont, USA
"we were startled by what sounded like a most unusual and terrific explosion, evidently very nearby. Raising my eyes...I observed a torpedo-shaped body, some 300 feet away, stationary in appearance, and suspended in the air about 50 feet above the tops of the buildings. In size it was about 6 feet long by 8 inches in diameter, the shell, or covering, having a dark appearance, with here and there tongues of fire issuing from spots on the surface, resembling red-hot unburnished copper....this object began to move, rather slowly, and disappeared over Dolan Brother's store, southward. As it moved, the covering seemed rupturing in places, and through these the intensely red flames issued."
-Bishop John S. Michaud of Burlington, Vermont, as reported in a letter to the Monthly Weather Review

December 22, 1909, Massachusetts, USA
"...rays proceeded from a lamp about the size of the searchlight of an automobile. As it came nearer it was apparent that the lamp was attached to a large black object, but the machine was so high that its form could not be distinguished."
-From a report in the Dec 23 Boston Globe. The object circled around Worcester, MA, moved west to Marlborough where it was also observed and then returned to Worcester where it hovered for a time over an insurance building before leaving the area.

1910, Arkansas, USA
"We saw a bright object hovering just above the trees about 50 yard from us. It was silver colored and shaped like a Zeppelin, but not quite as big. It had nothing hanging from the underside....There were no windows. When it took off, we saw it start up, and it completely vanished before our eyes. We called it a balloon. When I saw a real balloon, I knew what Jack and I saw wasn't a balloon. No one believed us when we told of seeing this thing."
-Myrtle B. Lee, in 1968 telling of an experience she had with her brother when they were children in Fulton County Arkansas.

June 29, 1913, Michigan, USA
"So swiftly did the strange craft travel that it was not more than three minutes until it had passed from sight in the northwest. The aerial mystery carried no lights of any description and was too elongated for an ordinary balloon....The craft was at a great height and when it passed to the northwest of the city had reached a still higher altitude."
-From an article in the Jun 30 Lansing State Journal describing an event witnessed by a sizeable crowd at a racetrack in Lansing Michigan.

September 17, 1914, Norway
"From Alta it is reported that Thursday evening from 9-10 o'clock a strange and so far unexplained luminous phenomenon was observed by many (people) and from many quarters. The sky was completely overcast and it was full dark when a luminous point like a very large star appeared to the east over Elvebakken, proceeded over Bosekop, disappeared behind Skoddevarre, came out again at Kvaenvik and after several other movements disappeared in the direction of Talvik. The light was white as a rule but shifted in part over to red and blue. It was also observed by binoculars from the small steamboat 'Sina'. Naturally it was guessed to be from an airplane....The light moved at various heights and as a rule without particularly great speed, except when it disapeared."
-From The Morgenbladet, Sept 24, 1914--Norway

November 21, 1914, Norway
At Midlandet in Tjolta last Saturday evening an aiwas seen again cruising about Skjaervaer lighthouse, which it lighted up with a searchlight. The airship, which had a height of about 700 meters, descended to about 400 meters altitude, wherefrom it let the searchlight play on a passing ship. Thereafter it ascended again. Between 20 and 30 people watched it simultaneously."
-Morgenbladet, Nov 25, 1914--Norway

December 20, 1914, Norway
"An airship might have been seen here at 8 o'clock yesterday morning. Many reliable people, among them the sheriff of Solum, sighted the airship. The sheriff watched it with binoculars. It was at a dizzying height and moved first inland, but then turned southward and went away to sea."
-Morgenbladet, Dec 22, 1914--Norway

December 17, 1916, Europe
"[A zeppelin-like object] rose straight towards the clouds (in rear of our lines) not like a flying machine, but straight up. . . .After running vertically, it suddenly darted forward at a pace which must have been 200 m.p.h.  It then turned around and darted backwards and then suddenly rising, disappeared in the clouds."
-Maurice Philip Tuteur, a soldier on the British front during WWI, in a letter to his parents.  The object was also alegedly witnessed by two sergeant majors.

Early 1918, Texas, USA
"It came directly overhead, and was no more than five hundred feet high so we got an excellent view of it.  It had no motors, no rigging, it was noiseless. . . .a rose or sort of flame color. . . .I could observe no windows. . . .We all experienced the weirdest feeling of our lives, and sat in our tent puzzling over it for some time."
-Edwin Bauhan, one of several soldiers at Rich Field in Waco Texas who observed a 100-150 foot long cigar-shaped object after leaving the mess hall.

June 10, 1931, Tasman Sea
"[An object 'like an oblong pearl'] drew steadily closer until perhaps a mile away when, right under my gaze as it were, it suddenly vanished. . . .But it reappeared close to where it had vanished. . . .It drew closer.  I could see the dull gleam of light on nose and back.  It came on, but instead of increasing in size, it diminished as it approached!  When quite near, it suddenly became its own ghost.  For one second I could see clear through it and the next. . .it had vanished."
-Sir Francis Chichester, famous aviator, sailor, and author, reporting on a strange sighting he had while flying his Gypsy Moth.

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