1972 Experiencers
Northwestern astronomer J. Allen Hynek, long a scientific consultant to the Air Force's UFO projects, published The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry. It sorted reports into close encounters of the first, second and third kind, a scheme later echoed in Spielberg's 1977 film.
5 Nov 1975 Experiencers
Logger Travis Walton went missing after his crewmates said a glowing object struck him in a clearing in Arizona's Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. He reappeared days later saying he had been taken aboard a craft; many have questioned the story, which he still defends.
19 Sep 1961 Experiencers
Betty and Barney Hill said a bright object followed their car on a night drive through New Hampshire's White Mountains, and under hypnosis in 1963-64 described being taken aboard a craft. Their story drew wide coverage from 1965 on, and a state historical marker now stands in Lincoln.
26 Jun 1959 Experiencers
Anglican missionary William Gill and about three dozen people at the Boianai mission reported a large lit object with human-like figures on top over two evenings; Gill said the figures waved back. An RAAF officer who interviewed Gill months later suggested planets seen through moving cloud.
