Buzz
Ancient accounts of strange lights in the sky often come to us through mythological and religious narratives passed down through the ages. It wasn't until the advent of newspapers that people began to consider that these sightings might hold some hidden truths from the past.
Whether these truths are rooted in science, religion, or something extraterrestrial remains to be seen. Some sightings from the late 1800s were particularly questionable, like the one from Findlay, Ohio, in 1888, where locals “were terrified last night by seeing strange flashes of light in the northern sky which took on the shape of a human hand. The appearance lasted for an hour, with the first finger pointing toward the sleeping city, while blood appeared to drip from all the fingers.”
However, some of the sightings below have origins that can be explained scientifically.
10. San Jose, 1896
The sighting was startling. The headline “It flitted over San Jose” was published on the front page of The San Francisco Call. Witnesses reported seeing a flying ship hovering above San Jose. One observer described how the “strange light” moved rapidly eastward towards the city, before changing direction to southwest, then south, and finally southeast. Eventually, the light disappeared below the horizon.
A second observer gave a more bizarre account of the object. He explained, “It had a pair of wings that flapped continuously, not from side to side like a bird, but in a forward and downward motion. Beneath it, several feet below, was a ball of red light that illuminated the underside of the ship and sent beams far down to the ground.”
As more witnesses came forward with strange reports, former Attorney General W.H.H. Hart stepped into the picture, claiming that the ship was a unique invention created by an individual living in Cuba. Hart even promised to help arrange a public exhibition of the aircraft, but no further information emerged in the days that followed the sighting.
9. British Columbia, 1897
Over a century ago, a peculiar report surfaced about a glowing, balloon-like object in the sky. According to The Herald, a newspaper from California, the indigenous people of British Columbia witnessed the bright balloon shape but were unable to report it immediately.
When news of the sighting spread, some dismissed it, claiming “the Indians’ imaginations had run wild, and there was no balloon or other aerial visitor in the sky.” However, another account emerged from Mr. Fitzgerald, a Caucasian man, who stated that he and his companion “saw a strange light in the sky seemingly attached to a giant balloon. They observed it until an hour after daylight, when it vanished.”
At the time, there were no known balloon-like objects in the sky, and no one ever came forward to claim ownership or origin for the mysterious sighting.
8. Washington, DC, 1897
As reports of strange lights in the sky grew more frequent in the newspapers, people began to turn their gaze upward, eager to investigate the phenomena themselves. Sometimes, they saw nothing at all, dismissing the idea altogether. Other times, they witnessed something unexplainable. On occasion, they scared themselves silly only to later find an explanation for what they had seen.
This was the case for the residents of 19th Street, between Pennsylvania Avenue and H Street in Washington, DC. They began noticing “a strange light in the sky at a point near the horizon east by northeast.” What was particularly curious was that these lights, which seemed “to be engaged in a wild, hilarious dance,” were visible only in that specific area and nowhere else.
After some investigation, the people discovered the source of the dancing lights: it was “merely the reflection of the moonbeams on the electric wires strung high across the eastern side of 19th Street, and it was only visible when the Moon reached a particular point in its journey across the night sky.”
7. New York, 1898
The town of Babylon, New York, became the site of a peculiar light sighting in the spring of 1898, a sighting with an eerie connotation given its name. Residents who witnessed the event reported that the strange light appeared around 8:45 PM, starting in the east and moving south, although at times, it seemed to hover directly overhead.
Reports indicated that the light moved steadily, without any interruptions, yet it would fade in and out at regular intervals. Eventually, the mysterious light vanished, disappearing from view. Those familiar with the northern lights claimed this strange light bore no resemblance to them.
Some people linked the light to superstition, speculating that it was connected to the impending war. While air balloons were in use at the time, none of the witnesses reported hearing the characteristic sounds associated with these vehicles. Meanwhile, airships were being developed in Europe, with the German zeppelin, which had been built in 1895, gaining popularity just three years before this sighting.
6. Chicago, 1901
A light so intense it could cut through the smoke and haze of a bustling city? This early report approaches the sighting with a touch of humor: “Last week, a strange light in the sky caused quite a stir in Chicago. The excitement was likely because people were amazed at the idea of seeing anything through the notorious Chicago smoke.”
While the article seems somewhat dismissive of the event, many newspapers from over a century ago had a sarcastic tone when reporting such occurrences. Professional, unbiased journalism had yet to become the norm, with newspaper owners often deciding the overall tone of their publications.
It is curious, however, that a light was visible through Chicago’s thick smog during a time when electricity was still a novelty for the city. Gas lighting had been prevalent from the 1850s until the early 20th century, and electric lights only began to appear in Chicago's financial district in 1888. No further information was found regarding whether the light remained stationary or moved.
5. Michigan, 1903
In the late summer of 1903, a mysterious light appeared in the skies above Marquette, Michigan. Initially spotted directly overhead, the light then moved in a circular motion around the city, growing more brilliant before gradually dimming and sinking low in the sky, eventually disappearing altogether.
Residents reported that they had never witnessed anything like it before. Some speculated that it might have been the northern lights, but the movement pattern seemed too unnatural to be the cause. A similar event was observed about 25 kilometers (15 miles) away in Ishpeming.
The newspaper report mentioned that the sightings “caused considerable anxiety.” No further information was found regarding the event or the nature of the strange light. It was also the same year the Wright brothers achieved their first four successful but brief airplane flights in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
4. Phoenix, 1909
A peculiar light, described as a will-o’-the-wisp, appeared in the sky northeast of Phoenix, Arizona. The light was about the size of a 10-cent piece held at arm's length and swayed to and fro before staying still. This strange occurrence was witnessed around 7:46 PM and lasted for about six minutes.
Various theories emerged regarding the mysterious light. Some believed it could have been an asteroid or comet caught in Earth's atmosphere, much like a fly trapped in a cobweb. Others speculated it might have been the Star of Bethlehem, although its position in the sky didn’t match the location of that star.
In an amusing twist, one newspaper reported that “the younger generation [was] of the opinion that it was the lantern of some marooned aeronaut who had anchored his sky boat to a cactus on account of the high wind.”
3. Tulsa, 1921
Mysterious green lights have been reported frequently, with a recent sighting in Southern California on April 26, 2016. According to the US Naval Observatory, these green or bluish fireballs flashing across the sky are fireballs, though their strange nature remains unchanged.
In the spring of 1921, residents in Tulsa, Oklahoma, witnessed a green ball in the sky. They described it as a “huge greenish light, resembling a formation of some gaseous substance in the shape of a great ball.” This occurred on the southeast end of Tulsa just after 11:00 PM and lasted for about 15 minutes.
The sighting caused a great deal of excitement, with many calling newspapers to report what they saw and ask about its origin. Some speculated that it could have been a meteor, but today’s explanation of it being a fireball seems far more likely than the notion of a “meteor cast off by a star.”
2. Pennsylvania, 1919
In the fall of 1919, residents of Sunnyburn, Pennsylvania, were treated to an extraordinary light display. According to a newspaper report, “flashes of light resembling sheet lightning, followed by the appearance of a ball of fire as large as a car’s headlight or about the size of the full Moon in the sky, have been attracting attention.”
The first sighting occurred around 8:00 PM and continued in “intervals of about five minutes.” The large ball of fire lasted only a few seconds before shattering into pieces of light and vanishing. The same event had been observed a few days prior and during the summer months before.
In an attempt to uncover the source of the light show, the water and power company was contacted. However, no connection to the power plant or power lines could be found. Some individuals, superstitious by nature, feared that “it might portend another war or similar calamity.”
1. Pennsylvania, 1916
By 1916, people across the United States believed they were witnessing German zeppelins in the skies. Although there is no evidence of Germans invading U.S. airspace at this time, zeppelins became the popular explanation for any strange lights in the sky.
A notable instance of this was when the people of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, observed a mysterious light one evening. Newspapers later reported that “it was feared the occurrence might mean that a German zeppelin was hanging over town.”
One newspaper, however, humorously pointed out, “with all due respect to the importance of Sunbury on the map of Pennsylvania, why should the kaiser prefer to attack it rather than some town producing munitions for the Allies?”
Naturally, in all the fuss about the absurdity of a German invasion of Sunbury, the actual story of the mysterious light was overshadowed and largely forgotten.
