1981 06 00 OMNI - Cohen - UFO Update

Magazine Overview

This issue of OMNI, titled 'GOSSAMER WINGS UFO UPDATE' and authored by Daniel Cohen, delves into the historical phenomenon of mysterious airship sightings that occurred in the United States between late 1896 and April 1897. The article highlights that these reports predate practical aviation and explores the parallels between this historical event and later flying saucer waves.

The 1896-1897 Airship Excitement

The article begins by quoting Robert Lowen of Evanston, Illinois, who described seeing multiple lights moving in unison in the night sky in April 1897. This is presented not as a recent UFO report, but as an excerpt from the Chicago Times Herald of April 10, 1897, describing a 'mysterious airship.' The author emphasizes that this was just one of thousands of such reports from a period spanning mid-November 1896 to April 1897.

Witnesses came from various locations across the United States and Canada, including California, Indiana, Texas, and cities near Chicago. The descriptions of the craft were remarkably consistent: a long, slender, cigar-shaped body made of bright metal, often adorned with lights. Some accounts described wings extending from the hull and a misty superstructure.

More sensational stories also emerged, including accounts of secret meetings with inventors, rides aboard the airship, and even alleged abductions. Joseph Joslin of St. Louis claimed to have been hypnotized and held captive on an airship for two weeks.

Historical Context and Significance

The author stresses the historical significance of these sightings, noting they occurred a full seven years before the Wright brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk and well before any practical dirigible had been flown. This fact presents a challenge for conventional explanations of UFOs, as no such aircraft existed in America at that time.

During the six-month period of excitement, airship sightings were widely reported in newspapers across the country and even garnered attention in Europe. People in cities like Sacramento, Sioux City, Omaha, and Chicago turned out in large numbers to witness the phenomenon.

The Abrupt End and Lingering Mystery

Around the end of April 1897, the newspaper coverage and sightings began to decline sharply. Within six weeks, the topic seemed to vanish from public discussion, as if it had never happened. The article notes that while individual stories might resurface in newspaper archives, they are often treated as isolated events.

The author points out that the Oakland Tribune, in 1952, mistakenly commented that no one seemed to have seen the craft after that period, suggesting that flying-saucer fever was high at that time. However, the mysterious-airship story began to resurface in the mid-1960s through the efforts of researchers like Jerome Clark, Jacques Vallee, Lucius Farish, and Loren Gross, who dug into old newspapers.

While some cases received sensationalized and inaccurate national publicity, the broader scope of this late-nineteenth-century phenomenon remained largely unknown to the public interested in UFOs.

Parallels with Modern UFO Sightings

The article draws a strong parallel between the 1896-1897 airship excitement and the flying-saucer fever that began in 1947. In both periods, many reported sightings involved strange lights in the night sky. While scientific and technical communities largely attributed these sightings to misidentifications (like Venus) or hoaxes, the public remained captivated.

Thomas Edison, when asked about the airship phenomenon, grumped that it was 'pure fake.' Despite such skepticism, dozens of individuals were identified as the inventor, and announcements were made about public displays of the airship, none of which materialized.

The Unexplained Residue

The author acknowledges that many sightings were likely misidentifications or hoaxes. However, due to the nature of the evidence (primarily newspaper stories), it's impossible to definitively explain every report. This leaves an 'unexplained residue,' similar to what supporters of UFOs claim exists in modern reports.

UFOs as a Historical Phenomenon

The article posits that UFOs are not solely a modern phenomenon and that the 1896-1897 airship sightings push the history of UFOs back at least to that period, suggesting they might go back even further.

It mentions other historical sightings, including mysterious airships over Great Britain in 1909 and 1910, and again in 1913. It also references 'foo fighters' during World War II and Scandinavian 'ghost rockets' of 1946.

The author suggests that UFO activity is a constant element of history, and 'waves' or 'flaps' might be artifacts of publicity and data-gathering techniques. The question is raised whether UFOs are extraterrestrial spaceships, or if their appearance changes with the times (airships in the late 19th century, zeppelins in the early 20th, and discs later).

Conclusion and Recurring Themes

The article concludes by questioning whether the UFO phenomenon is purely a psychological and sociological reaction, a misidentification of objects, or a reflection of hopes and fears. It reiterates the Oakland Tribune's sentiment: 'You pays your money and you takes your choice.'

Ultimately, the author argues that the well-documented mysterious airship excitement of 1896-1897 must be considered in any serious attempt to explain UFOs.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this article are the historical nature of unexplained aerial phenomena, the cyclical pattern of public excitement and subsequent dismissal, and the challenge these historical events pose to conventional explanations of aviation and extraterrestrial visitation. The editorial stance appears to be one of open inquiry, acknowledging both skeptical viewpoints and the persistent, unexplained elements within historical sighting reports, suggesting that UFOs are a long-standing aspect of human experience rather than a purely modern invention.