ufo_data/bin/rr0/tran1958.md

- **January**


-   **1:30:** A woman is driving on the highway in New York State, near Niagara Falls, in the middle of a snowstorm. She is going to see her son, who is in the army, and is driving very carefully, looking for an exit, as she fears the highway may be blocked further ahead. Visibility is extremely poor. She has no time to think when she suddenly discovers an object that looks like an airplane carcass in the middle of the road: A large shape was visible, and a thin, 15 m high rod, illuminated, which seemed to shorten and sink into the ground. My engine slowed down and, as I approached, my car stopped completely. I was panic-stricken and desperately tried to start it again as I had no lights. My first thought was to get out and see what was going on, when suddenly I saw two shapes standing next to the rod that was getting shorter and shorter. They were suspended but spinning around. It looked like animals with four legs and a tail, but with two antennas under the head, like arms. Before I had time to breathe, the things disappeared and the craft rose into the air; I then realized it was a UFO: it turned and zigzagged about 3 m above the ground, then rose again and I couldn't even see where it went. Suddenly my headlights came back on. I started the engine and everything was fine. I drove to the place, got out my flashlight, and walked to the scene itself. In a large hole about 30 cm wide, where the snow had melted, a little grass was visible. The grass was warm but no depression was observed.


-   **January 16, 12 PM (6:45 PM ?):** Observation and photography of the [Trinity Island](1958_Trinite.html) (Brazil).

-   **January 31:** Launch of *Explorer 1*, first American satellite, under the direction of [Wernher von Braun.](VonBraunWernher.html)

- **February**


- Release of the first issue of [Lumières dans la nuit](LDLN.html).


-   **February 21:** The views taken on January 16 at the [Trinity Island](1958_Trinite.html), as well as their history, make the first page of *Correio da Manha* of Rio de Janeiro.

-   **February 25:** UP Agency of Rio buys the story and photos of the [Trinity Island](1958_Trinite.html), ensures that the Brazilian Navy Ministry attests to their authenticity, and distributes them internationally.

- **Mars**


-   **March 14:** Sighting in Healdsburg (California) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #5716 unsolved]]{.source}.

-   **12:30:** A 28 year old French legionnaire on duty at the Bouah-Mama camp (Algeria, in the desert south of Constantine) heard a whistling sound coming from the sky. When he looked up, he saw a huge object, about 300 m in diameter, descending to about 45 m from him. The most remarkable thing about this object was not its size but the conical beam of an emerald green light coming from underneath and directed towards the ground. The legionnaire's memories of what followed are quite vague, and, as he himself admits, may not correspond to reality: instead of shooting to alert the others or taking the field telephone to call his superiors, the young man stayed there staring at the object for more than 45 minutes. Questioned by [Joël Mesnard](MesnardJoel.html), he declared that the pale green and emerald colors were the most beautiful, most soothing and most fascinating he had ever seen. The object left in the most classic way: first the whistling, then the elevation to an altitude of about 90 m and finally the ascent at a dizzying speed towards the northwest. The object gone, the man regained consciousness, and the happy, ecstatic feeling he had was replaced by sadness. It was as if time was passing very slowly... it was like being in another world he would later declare. He grabbed the phone and reported to his superiors what he had seen. At first, they thought it was a hallucination due to stress; however, a thorough investigation was carried out. The officers went to the scene, examined it minutely, without finding any physical evidence, re-interviewed the witness and, as he maintained that the event was real, they sent him to Paris for a more detailed examination. There, he stayed a week under observation at the Val-de-Grâce hospital. An electroencephalogram revealed nothing abnormal. The doctors concluded that he was in good mental and physical health and was not excessively suffering from the tension due to the war.

-   **March 17:** Launch of Pamplemousse, first satellite equipped with solar panels.

-   **April 14:** Observation in Lynchburg (Virginia) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #5763 unsolved]]{.source}.

-   **May 9:** Observation at Bohol Island (Philippines) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #5800 unsolved]]{.source}.

-   **May 13:** Insurrection in Algiers.

-   **May 15:** Launch of *Spoutnik 3*.

- The French Air Ministry decides to no longer encourage the collection of UFO testimonies (\...) because it results that no act of aggression, either against people or civilian or military property, has been observed.

- Publication of the book of [Aimé Michel](MichelAime.html), *Mysterious Celestial Objects* (MOC), in which General [Lionel Chassin](ChassinLionelMax.html) admits the existence of UFOs.

-   **June 1st:** Return of De Gaulle to power.

-   **June 14:** Sighting in Pueblo (Colorado) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #5852 unsolved]]{.source}.


- **June 20**


- Observation at Fort Bragg (North Carolina) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #5857 unsolved]]{.source}.
 - The *Public Land Order* 1662 is decreed by Roger Ernst, Deputy Secretary of the Interior, requisitioning 38400 acres (60 square miles) for exploitation by the [Atomic Energy Commission](AEC.html) in collaboration with the Nevada Test Site. The area, 6 miles North to South and 10 miles East to West, forms the first "box" around the base of [Groom Lake](Area51.html), under the already restricted airspace.

-   **June-August:** 4 aircrafts crash after colliding with an unknown object. From witness observations, it appears that these tragedies were caused by sudden shocks against something invisible, followed by a bright light.

- Drawing by an unknown mechanic of a UFO he saw flying over a runway of the [Holloman base](HollomanAFB.html) during the Summer!. See photo at images/1958-summer-holloman-airfor.jpg.

-   **August 17:** Sighting in Warren (Michigan) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #5999 unsolved]]{.source}.

-   **September 1st:** Observation at Wheelus Air Base (Tripoli) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #6027 unsolved]]{.source}.

-   **September 28:** Beginning of the 5th Republic in France.

-   **September 29:** Dr. Kenzaburo Toyoda of Meiji University observes the [Moon](Moon.html) in the night and sees a fantastic phenomenon taking place in the Sea of Serenity, and to the left of the Sea of Tranquility: in very black and very clear letters, he sees the following two words, placed one under the other: PYAX and JWA. Two other people also saw these words through the telescope. A X was also seen in the crater *Erasthotenes*, and the Greek letter *gamma* in the crater *Littrow*.

- **October**

-   **October 1st:** Creation of the [NASA](NASA.html).


-   **October 2:** Sighting in Stroudsburg (Pennsylvania) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #6089 unsolved]]{.source}


-   **October 15:** [Antonio Villa Boas](VillaBoasAntonio.html) is the first abduction in UFO history.


-   Major [Robert J. Friend](FriendRobertJ.html) succeeds Captain [George T. Gregory](GregoryGeorgeT.html) as head of the [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) project.

-   **October 26, 10:30 PM:** At Loch Raven (Maryland), 2 witnesses whose car had broken down observed a UFO for 1 to 2 minutes. The object emitted a powerful white light beam which caused a sensation of heat on their faces (they were burned to the 1st degree and hospitalized), then it left vertically in 5 to 10 seconds: Shortly after crossing the dam... the point rose, at 200 m or 250 m from there... So we saw, at this distance, what seemed to be a large oblong and flattened object suspended between 30 and 45 m above the superstructure of the bridge crossing the lake. We slowed down and then decided to get closer and examine the object... When we arrived at 25 m from the bridge, the car completely let us down. It seemed to come from the electrical circuits; the dashboard and headlights went out, the engine stopped. Mr. S., who was driving, tightened the brakes (the engine no longer running) and maneuvered the key 1 or 2 times. The mill remained silent; so then we really started to be afraid... We contemplated it... for maybe 30 to 45 seconds and then, although I'm not sure of the order of events, it seemed to emit a very bright white light beam, and both of us felt the heat on our face... At the same time, we heard a fairly loud noise, which I took for a muffled explosion... And then, very quickly... the object started to go up vertically. As far as we could judge, it did not change position (aspect) during its ascent. The only difference is that it was very bright and its edges became unclear so that, as it climbed, its shape was no longer distinguishable. It disappeared in 5 to 10 seconds. We were really scared... It took us maybe 1/4 hour to get back to a telephone booth [\[Poher 2003\]]{.source}.


-   **October 27:** Observation at Lock Raven Dam (Maryland) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #6148 unsolved]]{.source}.

-   **October 31**


- At Igaupe (Brazil), a disc plunged into the river *Péropava* after hitting a palm tree with an intense whistling in front of a group of witnesses.

-   [H. Obert](OberthHermann.html), one of the fathers of the [V-2](V2.html) rockets, wrote: I am convinced that flying saucers are piloted by higher forms of life, intelligent beings who have been observing the Earth for a long time.

- Photo taken on December 22nd by Dr. Kowalezewski. See photo at images/1958-12-22-03_Zegiestowa_Kowalezewski.jpg.
    

-   **November 3:** Sighting in Minot (North Dakota) [[case [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) #6153 unsolved]]{.source}.

-   **November 7:** Following the incident of [October 31](#1958-10-31), the Péropava river is dredged, in vain.


-   [Villa Boas](VillaBoasAntonio.html) confides in a journalist, [João Martins](MartinsJoao.html), who takes him to see [Dr Olavo Fontès](FontesOlavoT.html). The latter performs a number of tests and discovers two small punctures, on either side of the chin.

-   **November 26:** A mysterious satellite in Earth orbit
    sends out messages in a strange language,
    which are picked up all over the world. Scientists
    name it The Black Knight.

-   **December 7:** Kenneth Martin, 54 years old, his wife and their 3 children
    disappear from their home in Portland (Oregon) after announcing
    they were going to get a Christmas tree.


-   **December 20:** Meeting of [Hans Gustavsson](temoins.html#GustavssonHans) and Stig Rydberg in Domsten (Sweden).

-   **December 22, 3 AM**: Doctor Stanislaw Kowalezewski takes a photo of a glowing light coming from the clouds. Despite not having a filter on his camera he takes the photo through the window, hoping the light will render the orange glow. Kowalezewski will say he could see the road to Zegiestowa, the railway, the Poprad river and the top of the mountain silhouette bathed in this orange light which was about 500 from his window. The negative would have been examined by several experts who would have considered it authentic.

-   **December 29:** Earl Zrust, a young building entrepreneur from Silver Lake (Minnesota), his wife and their 4 children disappear without anyone knowing where they were going.

- Major [Robert J. Friend](FriendRobertJ.html) is appointed director of the project [Blue Book](BlueBook.html) in replacement of Captain [George T. Gregory](GregoryGeorgeT.html).


-   [Richard Hall](HallRichardH.html) joins [NICAP](NICAP.html).