Long before the famed Roswell crash, humanity’s intrigue with UFO sightings was already sparking across the centuries. From medieval monks gazing at mysterious ships to 19th‑century crowds tracking enigmatic airships, these early accounts lay the groundwork for the modern UFO phenomenon.
Why Early UFO Sightings Matter
Understanding these pre‑1900 encounters helps us see how the language and imagination surrounding UFOs have evolved, while also reminding us that strange lights in the sky have long captured the human imagination.
10 The Hatton Garden Sighting
In 1809, English astronomer John Staveley sent a detailed report to The Journal of Natural History And Philosophy And Chemistry describing a bizarre spectacle he witnessed over London’s Hatton Garden district.
Staveley described a dark cloud surrounded by meteors and occasional lightning. At first he thought it was a meteor shower, but one object suddenly swelled to the brilliance and size of Venus. The phenomenon then steadied, dimmed, and vanished.
He kept his eyes on the display for roughly an hour, noting that the lights flickered in and out of the black mass in ways that defied ordinary meteor behavior. Because Staveley was a respected astronomer and chose a reputable journal for his account, his testimony carries a notable degree of credibility.
9 UFO Over St Albans
On New Year’s Day in 1254, a group of monks at St Albans in Hertfordshire reported seeing a “large ship, elegantly shaped and of marvelous colour” floating above the churchyard.
The monks, who were celebrating the holiday, described the vessel as hanging silently in the sky, almost as if it were painting the heavens. The chronicler Matthew of Paris recorded the event with meticulous detail, noting the moon’s eight‑day age and a sky full of stars.
Eventually the ship rose and disappeared, leading some later observers to suggest it might have been a cloud. A similar sighting was recorded in 1290 at Byland Abbey, where monks described a “large, round, silver disc” soaring overhead at great speed.
8 The Sky Battle Over Basel
On the morning of August 7, 1566, the citizens of Basel, Switzerland, witnessed an extraordinary aerial display that resembled a battle between strange objects.
Samuel Coccius, writing for the local newspaper, described numerous large, black spheres soaring at high speed. The spheres appeared to collide, turning red before fading away. The spectacle persisted for several hours before the objects vanished, leaving townspeople stunned.
A comparable account had been recorded five years earlier by Hans Glaser in Nuremberg, where villagers reported objects engaging in combat in the sky.
7 The Airship Sightings Of 1897
The wave of airship sightings that swept North America in 1897 actually began in November 1896 when hundreds of San Franciscans observed a mysterious airship moving “against the wind” and illuminated by searchlights.
Subsequent sightings were reported over Santa Rosa, Sacramento, and later Chicago on April 10, 1897, where thousands claimed to see the same craft. While some later proved to be hoaxes, many accounts involved credible witnesses.
In Texas, a man named John Barclay recounted being approached by the airship’s crew, who asked him to purchase supplies. When Barclay inquired about their origin, they cryptically replied, “From anywhere, but we will be in Greece the day after tomorrow!”
6 Ship Drops An Anchor From The Sky
According to the 13th‑century manuscript The King’s Mirror, a Sunday mass in Cloera, Ireland, in 1211 was interrupted when an anchor attached to a rope fell from the heavens and became snagged on the church arch.
The rope dragged along the ground, and onlookers saw the hull of a ship in the sky. After about ten minutes, a figure emerged from the vessel and descended toward the anchor, moving like a swimmer. Spotting the gathered crowd, the figure panicked, cut the rope, and the ship sailed away. The anchor was allegedly displayed in the church thereafter.
A similar tale appears in the writings of Gervase of Tilbury, where an anchor caught on a tombstone in an English village was linked to a descending figure who later died, supposedly because Earth’s dense air was unfamiliar to him.
5 Flying Saucer Over Kii Province
While the phrase “flying saucer” was popularized in 1947 after Kenneth Arnold’s sighting, an 800‑year‑old Japanese account tells a similar story. In 1180, fishermen in Japan’s Kii Province reported a bright object described as an “earthen‑ware vessel” soaring from Mount Nyoigadake toward the northeast before veering and streaking across the horizon, leaving a luminous trail.
4 General Yoritsune Orders The First UFO Investigation
Japan may claim not only the earliest “saucer” description but also the first official inquiry into a UFO sighting. The medieval chronicle Azuma Kagami records that in 1235, General Yoritsune and his troops, while encamped for the night, observed strange lights dancing in the sky.
The display lasted for hours, with lights looping and swirling overhead. Yoritsune ordered his most learned men to investigate. Their report concluded that the phenomenon was “completely natural,” attributing it to the wind making the stars sway.
3 The First Documented UFO Sighting In North America
Governor John Winthrop’s journal records what many consider the first documented UFO sighting in North America. In 1638, a sober farmer named James Everell, accompanied by two unnamed companions, saw a great light over the Muddy River near Boston.
The witnesses reported that when the object was stationary it “flamed up,” and while moving it resembled a swine—an apt description for a pig farmer. The trio followed the lights for about 1.6 km, noting the object’s speed was “swift as an arrow” before it vanished.
2 The Great Ball Of Fire Over Robozero
Just after noon on August 15, 1663, the villagers of Robozero, Russia, gathered at their church when a thunderous crash echoed from the heavens. Rushing outside, they saw a fiery ball with two blazing beams racing toward them.
The ball crossed the sky, passed over the church, and vanished toward a nearby lake. An hour later it reappeared over the lake, hovering within 500 m of the people before disappearing again. A third appearance lingered for an hour and a half, filling onlookers with dread. Fishermen reported being burned by the fire the object emitted, and the lake glowed as if coated in rust.
1 Mass UFO Sighting Over Tennessee College
In the early hours of June 1, 1853, students at Tennessee College awoke to two luminous objects hovering above campus. One appeared moon‑like, the other star‑like. The moon‑like object shrank until it vanished, while the other grew, shifted into a globe, then elongated to match the horizon.
Professor A.C. Carnes documented the event in a letter to Scientific American. He wrote that the two lights continued to change size and shape for about thirty minutes, even as wind gusted and fleecy clouds drifted past, confining the lights to a single spot.
Attempts to explain the phenomenon proved inconclusive. Carnes speculated it might have been electrical energy, while Scientific American suggested atmospheric moisture. To this day, the sighting remains officially unexplained.