1958: October UFO & Alien Sightings

(Last Updated On: September 21, 2016)

Date: October 1958: Close Encounter in the “Devil’s Canyon” of Hunter, New York

Date: Oct. 2, 1958
Location: Stroudsburg, Penna. BBU 6089
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Summary: Naturalist Ivan Sanderson saw a dull-grey object, shaped like a pickle with a flat bottom, fly erratically in loops. (
Source: Berliner

Date: October 2,1958
Location: Nr. Blairstown, New Jersey
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Summary: Zoologist watched disc circling and maneuvering.
Source: UFOE, VI

Date: Oct. 3, 1958
Location: Fukushima-Ken, Japan
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Summary: Cat. 3. Portable radio emitted strange buzz as green fireball passed.
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Date: Oct. 3, 1958
Location: Wasco to Kirklin, Indiana
Time: 3:10 a.m.
Summary: A Monon Railroad freight train was proceeding through Clinton County when a formation of four odd white lights crossed ahead of the train. The UFOs turned and traversed the full length of the train, front to back (about a half mile) observed by the entire crew. After passing the rear of the train, the objects swung east, turned back and followed the train. The bright glow concealed the exact shape of the UFOs, but they appeared flattened and some times flew on edge. Operating part of the time in-line abreast with coordinated motions, the objects followed the train until the conductor shone a bright light on them. Immediately, the UFOs sped away, but returned quickly and continued to pace the train. Total time of observation: about 1 hour 10 minutes. Finally the UFOs moved away to the northeast and disappeared. The coordinated maneuvers in formation, reaction to a bright beam of light, and pacing of the train, all suggest some form of intelligence.
Source: FATE, Feb 1959, NICAP UFOE, page 9

Date: Oct. 7, 1958
Location: Alexandria, Virginia BBU
Time: 6:02 p.m. (EDT).
Summary: John R. Townsend, Special Assistant for Research & Engineering to the Asst. Secretary of Defense, saw a large stationary sharply outlined Saturn-shaped “silvery” or “aluminum clad” oblate spherical object (with “gossamer” surface appearance) with a rim or girdle around its equator in clear sky due S azimuth about 180° at about 20° elevation for about 10 secs, which started rapidly rising at an estimated speed of 1,000 mph and disappeared due to extreme distance at about 30° to 35° elevation still due S after 40 secs, with the impression it was heading away from him to the S growing smaller until unable to be seen [apparently increased distance to at least 400 miles to drop below minimum visual resolution, at about 36,000 mph average velocity at 80 g’s acceleration to an altitude of about 200 miles, terminal velocity about 72,000 mph]. Witness estimated angular size 3° and actual size 600 ft at distance 3 nautical miles, using the passing and turning Capitol Airlines Flight 407 at 2 miles distance during the sighting as aerial distance reference point. Townsend was familiar with standard takeoff pattern of flights from Washington National Airport and said that the airliner he saw during the sighting headed S on a track about 1 mile to his left (along the Potomac River) and then turned right across his field of view of the object. Pilot of Capitol Flight 407 took off in a DC-4 at 5:59 p.m. (EDT) from Washington National heading S and climbed to 2,000 ft and as he was turning right to a W heading out of the traffic pattern [at about 6:02 p.m.] he saw an “unidentified aircraft” with “nose light” at about 3,000 ft heading N, seen in the direction of or over Beacon Field 3 miles to the W (at about azimuth 265° so object was in the glare of the setting sun at approximately elevation 7° azimuth 258° and may have been reflecting the sunlight so as to appear to have a “nose light”). Thus sighting lines crossed with Townsend at right angles, establishing distance and location of object by triangulation as 2 miles S of Townsend at about 3,000 ft altitude and 1 mile W of the airliner, or at 38°46’N, 77° 3’W, and thus actual size as about 500 ft and angular elevation to Townsend about 17° in close agreement with Townsend’s measurement (done by protractor after the sighting) and in exact agreement with pilot estimate of 3,000 ft altitude of object. No sound. Townsend reenacted the timing by walking the half block down the N-S running Lee Street (which runs toward 190° True azimuth). Projected target radiant at ascent angle of about 30° at about azimuth 180° is at 17 hrs Right Ascension -20° Declination. (Sparks; Jan Aldrich; Loren Gross Oct. 1958 pp. 22-24, 26) 50 secs 2+ witnesses 6 Full Moons highest DoD R&D official; air-ground triangulation
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Date: Oct. 7, 1958 .
Location: Nantucket, Mass
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Summary: Ship’s Master, others watched a grayish oval object hover for several minutes, then climb away at high speed.
Source: UFOE, VII

Date: October 1958
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Date: October 10 1958: Alamogordo New Mexico Sighting

Date: Oct. 11, 1958
Location: Antarctica
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Summary: Dr. Yuri I. Danikov, a leading Moscow glacier expert, was one of four of four men who were ‘pestered’ by a low-flying, silvery disk.
Source: Loren Gross, 1958: OCTOBER, UFOs: A History, 54

Date: Oct. 11, 1958
Location: Laredo Test Center, Texas BBU
Time: 1:22 a.m. local time
Summary: A radar target was picked up on a ground radar at the Laredo Test Site at at a range of 454 nautical miles and at 462 nautical miles at a height of 64 nautical miles. The targets lasted for a total of 28 seconds. One possible conclusion given says: (b) two meteors occurring in the same portion of space at very nearly the same time. According to the documents, two targets were observed. One target lasted for 27.3 seconds and the range of the target changed from 462 nmi. to 467 nmi. The target was observed in three of four beams being energized. The radar being used was an AN/FPS-17(XW-2).
Source: McDonald list

Date: October 12, 1958
Location: Aurora, Illinois
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Summary: Police reported several yellowish UFOs moving in all directions.
Source: UFOE, VII

Date: October 16, 1958
Location: Aurora, Illinois
Time:
Summary: Photographic AnalYsis of The “Fortune” Photo BY John T. HoPf (Takcn on Oct. 16, 1957, ncar thc holloman North Test Rangc.) This report is based only examination of the original slide and enlarging copies made therefrom, and deals only with the photographic questions involved’ I must leave to others more qualified thc discussion of whether a cloud this compact and brilliant could actually form and remain motionless under the atmospheric conditions existing at thc timc thc photograph was taken. Miss Ella Louise Fortune should bc complimented on hcr exeellcnt tcchnitluc in taking this linc photograph. Thc original 35mm Kodachrome slide is verY striking as the obiect is a brilliant white with quite distinct form contrasted against the dark blue sky. Thc thin bluish-white trail coming from the left end of the object does not reproduce well in thc black and white copics duc to its faintness. There is no question whatever that thc photograph is authentic and is of an object at a great distance from the camera. Actual shutter speed with a camera lf this type ( Kodak Pon)’ ) is usually closer to 1,z25th whcn sct at 1./50th sec. Therefore the exposure given of 1’50th scc. at f16 with Polarscreen checks well with observed density of the slide. Persons who havc seen only the black and white prints are invariably struck by thc “third-dimensional” effect when the slide is projected. This is simply due to the high contrast bctwccn thc white “object” and the dark sky caused by using a polarizing filter and a minimal exposure. Normal cxposurc for a scene of this typc would be 1,z50th at fll; however, the exPosure userl was exactly right to show maximum detail in an object as brilliant as this one. Careful examination of thc original and enlarge Ektachrome copics ttradc from it indicate that the object was reflecting or producing at least twice as much light as the other clouds in thc picture. A small cloud in ” upper left and those at the top are bright blue by comparison and slightly underexposed. (See front page picture in May Bulletin.) I do not think that any ortlinarl cloud would produce such a strong exposure on the film. The enlargement shown hcrc is about 50 diameters from the original. On this scale the entire picture would bc six (6) feet wide. The grain shown is that of thc original film. Although with such extreme magnification even the sharpest lines appear slightly fuzz.y dut’to residual aberrations in the camera lens and loss of rcsolution in the film emulsion, I ciitt think- that o cnlid nhinnl rr:nrtlrl have produced a sharper outline, especially since no motion was apparent at the time of the exposure. Of course if the “object” were beYond the mountains, there would be some blurring due to atmospheric “boiling” over the mountains, but probably not enough to produce the unsymmetrical shape and the shaded points which indicate a form more cloud-like than solid. Although I fccl that thc “object” is not a solid one, it certainly is an unusual phenomena and should receive the attention of a qualified aerologist. (Signed) John T. Ilopf Thc analysis performed by the staff when the original slide of thc Fortune picture was received, was based on the slide as wcll as atmospheric conditions and Miss Fortune’s testimony. Miss Fortune stressed her opinion that thc object could not havc bccn a cloud, that a rough triangulation gained by looking at from points along the highway between Tularosa and Three Rivers indicated that it rvas considerably closer than thc mountains-perhaps as much as 1./3 of thc distance from the highway’ to thc mountains from hcr position. Wc havc yet to find anyone who can identify the object photographed by Ella Fortune
Source: UFOE, VII

Date: Oct. 17, 1958
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. BBU
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Source:Hynek UFO Rpt p. 44

Date: Oct. 26, 1958
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
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Summary: Research chemist saw 2-3 bright objects pass through field of telescope.
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Date: Oct. 26, 1958
Location: Loch Raven Dam, Maryland BBU 6148
Time: 10:30 p.m.
Summary: Phillip Small and Alvin Cohen saw a large, flat egg-shaped object, flying low about 100-150 ft above the bridge, which affected their car’s electrical system and caused a burning sensation, rose vertically and disappeared in 5-10 secs.
Source: Hynek UFO Exp ch. 9, case CEII-4

Date: October 1958
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Date: October 27, 1958
Location: Union Dale Pennsylvania BBU
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Summary: ). An object resembling a large gray cigar with an assembly tail flew at treetop height, making a strong “swishing” sound.
Source: Magonia 472

Date: October 28, 1958
Location: Pont-la-Dame, France
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Summary: A motorist saw a luminous disc hanging stationary in the air over the Pont-la-Dame bridge across the Grand Buech river. Described as having a classic “saucer” shape of two plates joined together. 300-600 feet in diameter, consisted of two concentric circles, from the smaller of which emanated red sparks.
Source:

Date: October 31, 1958
Location: Caledon East Canada BBU
Time: 1550
Summary: A civilian reported an
elliptical, aluminum-colored object at 2 km altitude, coming down to 4 m, flying up and down by sudden jumps, stopping at ground level less than 200 m away for five min. A red light appeared at one end of the object, which gradually took a fiery color, then exploded. The witness ran away.
Source: Magonia 473