Monday, June 04, 2012

 

Canadian UFO Survey coming soon

Yes, I know it's a bit late. But it does take time to examine all the hundreds of Canadian UFO reports and enter them one at a time into the database. It's the least glamourous part of UFO research. (Note you don't see UFO Hunters doing any of this on TV.)

Geoff Dittman and I are close to finishing a set of 2010 and 2011 case data. We'll see how they compare with previous years.

In the meantime, I just received a report from December 1965. What often happens is that a recent news story about a UFO sighting jogs people's memories and they report something they saw many years ago. In this case, it's not anything unexplainable, but it shows what we get.

December, 1965
Toronto, Ontario.

I was driving home from work travelling East on the 401 Highway North of Toronto. It was around 6:00 pm and I was still on the North West side of the city. Suddenly, the traffic slowed to a stop and people started getting out of their cars and looking toward the South, toward Lake Ontario. I got out of my car and looked in the same direction .

What I witnessed was astonishing. A huge fireball was travelling towards us in what appeared to be slow motion. It was like a huge lump of glowing coal with sparks and bits falling away from it as it went overhead. We all watched it as it travelled North and then disappeared over the horizon. I watched for news of the sighting and kept my ears pierced for any local talk about the incident. There didn’t seem to be an inordinate amount of coverage, except for vague reports about a meteorite landing in the Algonquin Park region North of the city.

This sounds like it was a spectacular bolide: a chunk of comet impacting the Earth's atmosphere at high speed and burning up within a few seconds. According to Blue Book, there was a brilliant meteor on December 9, 1965, seen over the Northern USA and also Canada.


That's likely what this person saw 47 years ago, and reported it today. Good memory.

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Comments:
Ironically, when a witness recalls something from years ago that can be explained now...their recall was just fine.

When a witness recalls something from years ago that can't be explained now...their recall was clearly in error.

That wasn't aimed at you Chris, I was just being surly.

The reason I'm posting is to ask if you keep audio of your reports? I've been reading Mike Swords' Grass Roots UFOs and noticed you interviewed Edwin Fuhr with John Timmerman. If you have, is there any chance you might consider releasing some?

I've found the oral history of UFO sighting reports to be frequently compelling. In many ways, they're more convincing (reassuring?) than written accounts.

I look forward to the new release of your survey.
 
Kandinsky:
John was taping Fuhr when we were i Saskatchewan together. I have no idea where the audio went. Maybe it's in the CUFOS exhibit in St. Paul?
 
Hiya Chris. I know your interview was taped by John and you're right that CUFOS own the audio archives. Mike Swords' Grass Roots UFOs book was sourced from the recordings.

I was curious to know if you've recorded reports made directly to you.

If you have, you've got a great collection for the records. If you haven't, it's not a bad idea to start.

Perhaps there'll come a time in the future when the 'UFO enigma' is less of a mystery? If that day comes, the oral history might be important.
 
I was the screaming child in paragraph 8. Scared the crap out of me and changed my life. I am now 58 and still remember this. See the blog below.


http://www.ufocasebook.com/ottawavalley.html
 
Ms Chaput: It must have been something to see! And for it to have made such an impression on you, it was obviously quite frightening!
 
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