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UFOs

Cigars and mystery airships

Before flying saucers there were mystery airships. In 1896–1897 thousands of Americans described illuminated airships with searchlights, although nobody could build an airship capable of such flights at the time. Cigar-shaped objects still appear in reports today – sometimes as “motherships” releasing smaller lights.

cases
7
years
1896–2007

Unexplained: 2 Disputed: 3 Explained: 1 Hoax: 1

  1. 19th century

    1. 1896–1897 Cigars and mystery airships · Disputed Mystery Airship Wave of 1896–1897 Sacramento, California, later the Midwest, United States For half a year, thousands of Americans described illuminated “airships” with searchlights – from California to Chicago.
    2. 1897 Cigars and mystery airships · Hoax Kansas Calf-Napping Airship Alexander Hamilton’s farm near Le Roy, Kansas, United States Farmer Alexander Hamilton described an airship that carried off his calf on a rope – and got respected neighbors to sign their names under his account.

  2. 1900–1909

    1. 1909 Cigars and mystery airships · Explained 1909 New Zealand Mystery Airship Kelso and surrounding area, Otago region, New Zealand In July and August 1909, residents of Otago and Southland described airships with searchlights, although no such craft was flying over New Zealand.

  3. 1940–1949

    1. 1948 Cigars and mystery airships · Disputed Chiles–Whitted UFO Encounter Near Montgomery, Alabama, United States Two pilots of an airline DC-3 nearly collided with a fiery cigar with two rows of windows – the case ended up in a secret Air Force report.

  4. 1950–1959

    1. 1954 Cigars and mystery airships · Disputed The Florence Stadium UFO Sighting Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Tuscany, Italy During a Fiorentina match in 1954, thousands of fans saw shining objects over the stadium as white threads fell from the sky.

  5. 1970–1979

    1. 1978 Cigars and mystery airships · Unexplained Disappearance of Frederick Valentich Bass Strait between Cape Otway and King Island, Victoria, Australia Pilot Frederick Valentich radioed about a strange object above his Cessna; minutes later contact was lost, and the plane was never found.

  6. 2000–2009

    1. 2007 Cigars and mystery airships · Unexplained 2007 Alderney UFO Sighting Near the island of Alderney, Channel Islands, Guernsey In April 2007, an Aurigny pilot and his passengers saw two huge, bright yellow, cigar-shaped objects over the English Channel.