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INTCAT 1953

1953. (or following year) Afternoon.
KATONG (SINGAPORE)
Two service couples sharing a house reported following a severe storm, a luminous sphere the size of cricket ball appeared on the electricity and telephone wires at the rear of the house. It entered the kitchen, its colour changing from orange to blue/white and yellow, at walking pace about 1.2m above the ground. As it passed through the house, the lights, which were off, glowed orange and the fridge made shuddering sounds. The sphere then continued on its way over the power lines 
  • NUFON News 124 p11 citing letter from witness
  • Randles and Fuller 1990 p182
1953.
SHELBY (OHIO : USA)
At a German settlement near Shelby a small unidentified object landed and a man got out of it and went to a nearby stream to get water. The man wore a suit of ski suite. 
  • Williamson 1959 p137
1953. (or following year) Evening.
CHICKSANDS (BEDFORDSHIRE : ENGLAND)
George Inskip, the head gardener at Chicksands Priory and RAF Base was working in the greenhouse when his attention was caught by a grey cowled figure coming towards him. Thinking it was a visitor, Inskip went out to greet him, but there was no-one there 
  • Broughall and Adams 2010 p.27
1953.
KEMPSEY (NEW SOUTH WALES : AUSTRALIA)
Colin Fuller (17) and his friend Joe Wright were in the Marlo Merrikan Creek area south west of Kempsey when they saw a hairy bidped moving through a clearing. 
  • Healy and Cropper 2006 p224 case 73 citing letter from Fuller’s brother in law 1995
Early 1953.
WARRAGAMBA (NEW SOUTH WALES : AUSTRALIA)
A hiker walking near Warragamba encountered a group of humanoid figures, dressed in space suits, who seemed be searching the ground with strange metal devices. 
  • Basterfield 1981 p78 citing Rex Gilroy
1953. 0000hrs.
PRATALINO in VAGLIA (TOSCANA : ITALY)
Cirano Signorini (c 40) was driving his car on a mountain road to test its engine. His headlights picked out a dark disc shaped object in a small clearing. Cirano got out to investigate and saw two short figures wearing “space suits” and helmets get out and approach. They communicated by telepathy, claiming that they were observing humanity, speed was no object to them and that they could destroy any attacker. They offered to take Cirano on a trip, and he chose a small town in the US that he knew. He was taken on board the disc, where he had to stand upright because of the power. He was taken to his chosen location but they refused to leave him there and returned him from whence he had come. He was led out, and the disc took off at terrific speed. Looking at his watch he saw that an hour had elapsed. 
  • Verga 2007 p58 case 5203 citing Novella 2000 11 November 1975
  • Evaluation - Letter from a friend of the deceased witness in a sensationalist tabloid. Verga suspects a journalistic hoax
1953. 0100hrs.
CERRO DEL VALLE (SAN JUAN : ARGENTINA)
Mica miner Eberto Villafano was out looking for some guanacos when he was awoken by a feeling of malaise and intense heat. Approaching him was a beautiful woman dressed in a sort of light fitting green-elastic mesh garment. Her feet had the shape of serpents’ heads with eyes on the instep. He ignored her gestures asking him to stay and fled. As he did so the woman settled on his skin bed, which was later found scorched. 
  • Jane Thomas in FSR 19,3 p29 citing Marcello Abally in Cordoba 31 December 1972

 1953.
(QUEENSLAND : AUSTRALIA)
Children on a farm saw three objects flying over a dam at 30m altitude. 
  • UFORA Research Digest 19 p3 citing UFO Research Queensland-Sunshine Coast Branch

 1953.
DUTTON (MONTANA : USA)
Cecil Tenny was on holiday when he saw a cigar shaped object at low level, giving the impression of being in difficulties. After 7 or 8 minutes the thing exploded and balls of fire fell on the road, Cecil reported the matter at the nearest bar. That evening he was summoned to Great Falls AFB, interrogated abs required to sign a statement. On the way out he met with two men carrying laundry bags in which there appeared to be bodies. 
  • Randle 2010 p157 citing Len Stringfield
  • Evaluation - Lacks contemporaneous documentation. Hoax or confused memory of an actual plane crash

 1953.
(NEW MEXICO : UNITED STATES)
A strange object crash landed and was found unoccupied with the doors open, In the vicinity were four bodies. These were humanoids, about 1m tall and hairless. The object was an ovoid 8m long 4m thick. 
  • Randle 2010 p159 citing letter to NICAP 8 April 1964
  • Evaluation - An instructor at Bob Jones 'University' told the letter writer this this story, or so he said. Another FOAF tale. Clearly a copy of the famous Scully hoax

1953. Day.
WILCANNIA (NEW SOUTH WALES : AUSTRALIA)
Two men ,John Gregory and Kevin Power, out driving photographed a domed object 6m diameter, with a row of circular windows around the top section, and three pods projecting from its bottom. It hovered a few metres above an electricity pole (c 16m altitude) less than 30m away. They claimed that the Australian Air Force confiscated the photographs. 
  • Basterfield 1981 p78 + 1997 p138 citing Broken Hill Barrier Truth 9 June 1966 reproduced in AFSR 5 July 1966
  • Evaluation - Sounds very much like a hoax

 1953. Afternoon.
SLOUGH (BERKSHIRE : ENGLAND)
Miss S of Pitts Road heard a knock at her back door, followed by a second one a few seconds later, but found no-one there on answering. Going into the garden she saw, resting in the rose patch about 2m away, an object which landed with a jerky motion. It was a sharp edged black cube about 5-6cm long pn each edge. A moment later a small silvery spark jumped from the bottom right corner of the object, and a few moments after that, a sort of curved shutter opened to reveal a feature like a camera lens. Seconds later the object shot off into the air, apparently pulled by a thin cable which had appeared from the rear, and which seemed to stretch up into the sky as far as her eye could see with no visible end. The cube rapidly ascended from view in an arc to the North North West. 
  • Martin Keatman in Investigation 1,1 p10 + BUFORA Journal 7, 1 p13 citing his own investigation
  • Evaluation - A surprising amount of detail of something that happened over 20 years previously

 January 1 1953. 2045hrs.
CRAIG (MONTANA : USA)
Warner Anderson (36) his wife (35) and daughter (13) were driving about 16km south of Cascade on Hw 91 when they saw an object approaching from about 8km away. When first seen it was about 30-60m, coming within 100m at 15-30m altitude. The object was a silvery disc with a red glow on the bottom, and shot off at high speed. The USAF summary described this object as being like two bowls placed rim to rim about 8-12m long and 6-8m thick and at a distance of 200-. 100m and altitude of 3-5m. It had several lighted windows and a porthole on the side.
  • Blue Book Files http://www.fold3.com/image/#9543333.
  • Blue Book Status Report 13
  • Evaluation - It is difficult to reconcile the different descriptions in the same document. Status Report gave the date as 2nd January and time as 2100hrs

 January 12 1953. 1300hrs.
SANTA DOS MONTES (MINAS GERAIS : BRAZIL)
While driving to his farm home, about 5km out of town, hospital employee Mauricio Ramos Bessa took a short cut off the main road. When crossing level terrain, planted in hay, he was surprised to see something luminous ahead of him in the distance. The topography of the area caused him to lose sight of it until 30 minutes later, when it was just 6m away. It was bright, metallic coloured, smaller than a Volkswagen car, flat on the bottom, rounded on top, and maneuverer 1.3m above the ground. Mauricio stopped his car 2m away to observe it closer. Suddenly, after a couple of minutes, a door raised up and two people, wearing brilliant lead coloured suits, jumped to the ground. They had a shining ball on the front of their square toed shoes. A third man was seen in the opening, staring out. All were 1.3-1.4m tall. One of them held a cylinder 12-14cm long, 3-4cm wide, which he pushed into the ground then withdrew, leaving a hole, 5cm deep, 3cm diameter. This instrument seemed to change shape in its owner’s hand, becoming shorter and rounder. The two beings walked backwards towards their craft, which dipped down closer to the ground to receive them. During all this time Mauricio began to develop a fierce headache that became so intense that he was unable to watch the final departure of the machine. When the pain ceased suddenly, no trace of the craft remained. 
  • Richard Heiden citing Ribera 1968 p230 + (SBEDV Special Bulletin 1975 p39 citing SBEDV Bulletin 56/9 p9)
  • Pereira 1974 case 27
  • Lorenzen 1976 p143 (gives date as 3rd and incorrectly locates S de M in Guanabara state

 January 21 1953.
GRACEVILLE (QUEENSLAND : AUSTRALIA)
Brothers Alan and Arnold Schnitzerling were driving on a country trip when they encountered a bright light 1m in diameter, accompanied by a smaller dull red light. As their truck approached it the bright light shot upwards at terrific speed, returned and circled the truck, which it came pace with for 3.2km. When they stopped the truck the light slowed down and landed 100m away 
  • Hervey 1969 p96
  • Mathews 2009 p50

 January 29 1953. 2330hrs.
CONWAY (SOUTH CAROLINA : USA)
Lloyd C Booth (29), the owner of a general store had arrived at his parents, home and was sitting reading the newspaper while the coffee heated. He heard a commotion from the mules and poultry and went out to investigate. Fearing it was someone who had been poisoning local livestock he grabbed his .22 pistol and went to investigate. He found nothing in the barn and went round the buildings. There he saw about 3m above the c 20-25m tall trees, something like “an egg cut from end to end”, with what looked like a smoke glass window on the rear, from which a white light was emitted, and two cockpits in the front from which came more light. He saw neither occupants nor controls in them. On the underside was an opening about 1m wide, from which protruded something like a half wheel. The thing was about 8-9m long, about 3.5-4m broad and 2.5-3m deep. The thing was coming slowly from the east, emitting a humming sound. Booth followed the object to a small clearing in the woods, where the object turned and flew overhead again. At this Booth fired at the object twice with his pistol. The first shot seemed to hit the craft, which titled 60 degrees and took off at high speed, its increased noise making it impossible to know whether the second bullet hit. He was struck by the fact there were no markings on the machine. 
  • Keyhoe and Lore 1969b p 64 citing letter from Lloyd C Booth to Albert Baller 8 March 1953.+ Lloyd Booth and Glen D Kittler in Male September 1953. + H B Ketchum in Journal of Space Flight September 1953. p6 + Columbia State 7, 8 + 26 February 1953. + The Charlotte Observer 15 February 1953.
  • Horry County News and The Loris Sentinal February 5 1953. p1
  • Letter from Dr James McDonald to Isabel Davis/NICAP October 9 1967 citing his telephone conversation with Booth that day
  • Blue Book Files (all preceding on NICAP website
  • Barker 1960 p50 citing an undated issue of Space Review
  • Vallee Case 108
  • Moseley and Pflock 2002 p51 citing Jim Moseley’s own investigation
  • Haines 1999 p190 citing Keyhoe and Lore op cit + Fawcett 1986
  • Gross January-February 1953. p69

 January 30 1953. 1925hrs.
YUMA (ARIZONA : USA)
Wells Alan Webb, Felix Gebler and Grove Kihorny, passengers in a car driving by Spain Air Field, observed a flickering and dancing light above one of the planes parked there. When they first saw it, it was at an altitude of 12m, but it rose, slowly at first, then ever faster to lose itself among the stars at an angle of 60 degrees. 
  • Richard Heiden citing Webb 1956 p125
  • Maney and Hall 1961 p152
  • Hall 1964 p51
  • Gross January-February 1953. p70

 February 1953. (or following month) 0330hrs.
EDINBURGH (MIDLOTHIAN : SCOTLAND)
Mr Archibald was coming home from his night shift when he was followed by a strange object. On arriving home he got up his two sons (11, 13) to show them the thing; a huge red object hovering in a clearing among the trees on the opposite side of Old Dalkeith Road. It moved in a clockwise “diamond” motion, changing colour pink-orange-red and shades in between for about 20-30 minutes before vanishing down to a dot. 
  • BUFORA Bulletin 3 p17 recounted by the 11 year oldboy when an adult

 February 4 1953. (Approx. date) 1830hrs.
BALLYBOUGHAL (CO. DUBLIN : IRISH REPUBLIC)
Hugh Sheridan was walking home from his work in Gerrardstown , to his home in Bettyville 800m away when he heard a sound like laughter in a field. He then saw something like a tarpaulin on the ground, on and around which were large numbers of small humanoids, some about 1.2m high, others 45-60cm tall. Both sizes wore dark blue-grey coats, with a sort of cape, and tight coverings on their legs. They were male and female and had smiling faces with unusually plump cheeks. They kept facing Hugh as he walked along and they seemed to be trying to lead him off the path and take him away. He resisted and kept to the path, but at one point fell in a ditch, and the creatures stood around him. He got back on his feet, and when he crossed another ditch on a plank, the things retreated, the noise gradually failing. When Hugh got home he found that he was 45 minutes late, though he thought he had been delayed by only a few minutes. When with the beings he felt exhilaration as though he was at a great height. 
  • Johnson 2014 p30 citing Willie Monks

February 14 1953.
LOIS (SOUTH CAROLINA : USA)
An unidentified object was observed at low altitude. Witness Marlowe. No further details 
  • Table of American Landings

February 18 1953. 2230hrs.
LOS ANGELES (CALIFORNIA : USA)
George Adamski was led to the city by a strange urge. There he met a former student of his and gave her some advice and took her to the tram stop. There he met two men who took him by car into the countryside where they encountered a luminous object 4.5-6m high, where he encountered the being he had met the previous year, apparently doing repairs to the craft. There he was led into a cabin, where there was a humming sound from a coil around the wall. Here there were push button consoles, a sort of lens on the floor and a central pillar. He was given a pseudo-scientific explanation of the purpose of this and the propulsions system. On this he was taken to a mother ship with various rooms where he met female crew members, given a tour of outer space etc. 
  • Adamski 1956

February 23 1953.
NORTH BERWICK (EAST LOTHIAN : SCOTLAND)
Richard Hill and his sister saw a disc shaped object take off from a field some 400m away. 
  • Richard Hill in FSR 2,1 p9

February 25 1953. 1930hrs.
STURGEON BAY (WISCONSIN : USA)
Patricia N (14) was alone in her house when her attention was caught by what appeared to be a fire in a neighbour’s field. She went to her darkened bedroom for a better view and saw that it was not a fire but an ovoid object on or close to the ground. The thing did not move despite a strong wind, though it faded and brightened several times. The driver of a passing car did not notice the thing. The thing was present for an hour, though Patricia did not keep it under constant observation for that period. 
  • Gross January-March 1953. SN p41 citing APRO Bulletin 2, V p12 + APRO files

March 1953.
LOS ANGELES (CALIFORNIA : USA)
A tall stranger, about 2m tall, with bluish skin, walked into a newspaper office, claiming to be a Venusian who had landed. He told the reporter, Jim Phelan, that he would return the next day with a companion. The two returned the next day, they were noticeable not just for their size and skin colour but from their emaciated appearance, their pricked ears and apparently jointless hands. They were wearing shoddy and ill-fitting clothing. They claimed to be studying earth and wanted publicity. To prove their story one of them scored a 6mm deep furrow in some wood. They were later given a job in a municipal law office, where one of them made an indentation over 1.3cm deep in a bar of stainless steel. They were also supposed to be good at tracing missing persons. When someone called the FBI about the strangers they never reappeared and could not be traced. 
  • Wilkins 1956 p35
  • Jim Moseley in Evans and Stacy 1997 p55
  • Evaluation - Just a rumour and probably meant as a joke

March 2 1953.
TROY (NORTH CAROLINA : USA)
Textile worker D D Lemons and his two children (14, 10) were surprised by a black object the shape of a large wash pot which slowly rose from the centre of Sut Bridge, drifted over the abutments and out of sight behind the bushes and trees. The witnesses were so terrified they were trembling. 
  • George Fawcett in Flying Saucers 77 p9
  • Fawcett 1975 p32)

March 22 1953. 1200hrs.
TUJUNGA (CALIFORNIA : USA)
In their mountain cabin 11km from Tujunga, Ms SS and her friend Ms JW were asleep, when S was awoken by a sudden silence amongst the animals outside and a strange blue-white light filled the cabin. JW then awoke and went to investigate, but ash went to get her bath robe she was suddenly paralysed. This paralysis ended as suddenly as it had commenced and the light was gone. They noticed that the air was oppressive and that they were finding it difficult to believe. They then realised that it was 0420 and that 2 hours 40 minutes had elapsed without them realising it. Their animals were awake but strangely tranquil. As they fled JW saw a white vaporous face with long hair streaming from the shoulders, near a bush 15m away. There were various alleged psychic sequalia. In 1975-9, SS underwent hypnotic regression, during which she recalled them being abducted by 7-8 thin humanoids into a Saturn shaped craft, where she was given a medical in a high domed room. The couple were taken on board along a beam of light. The beings appeared to communicate through gesture and “mental command”. S was given an alleged cure for cancer (actually an old folk remedy). During the examination instruments pierced her upper body. 
  • Druffel and Rogo 1980 pp. 3, 16 + Ann Druffel and Scott Rogo in Fate April 1980 citing their own investigation

April 19 or 20 1953. 1300hrs.
PANMUNJON (NORTH KOREA)
About 40km North of Panmunjon a shiny wingless machine, 3m diameter was seen flying at about 30m altitude, at about 110kph. It was first seen by Lt Julius K Morgan while he was piloting a light aircraft in an observation mission behind Communist lines. Three other officers, two of them in another light plane observed the object for 15 minutes before they left the area. There was a total of seven witnesses. 
  • Lorenzen 1969 p51
  • Flying Saucer News (Bristol) Summer 1953.
  • Haines 1990 p60 citing APRO Bulletin Vol 1 no 6
  • Haines suggests only four witnesses and list two of the others as Lt James O Rymus and Lt Jack E Myers)

April 22 1953. Night.
ILIOUPOLI (ATTICA : GREECE)
While out walking Ms F saw a strange woman with a high forehead and large protruding eyes, and with a very thin waist. This woman was dressed in an old fashioned jacket and skirt, on top of a pair of transparent trousers. On a lead she had something that looked like just a shadow. When Ms F tried to question the stranger, the latter just glared at her and walked off into an archaeological site. The next day a shepherd in the St Nicholas area saw a sort of aluminium looking thing come down and land. Though windows the witness saw a group of “incredibly ugly” dwarfs, one of which had an animal head. An opening appeared and one of the dwarfs came out holding what looked like a golden plate. Then a woman like the one seen the previous day came on the scene. The dwarf bowed to her and put dirt on the plate. They both entered the object which took off with a loud explosion. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p157 citing Panayotis Skayannis

April 23 1953. 1200hrs.
SABANA GRANDE (PUERTO RICO)
A 7 year old boy and a friend of about the same age were collecting water from the well near the school when they saw the sugar cane agitated as if by a whirlwind and then saw a woman dressed in white emerge the commotion and grew until it reached the height of the mango trees. The shape was identified as the Virgin Mary and in the following days more children reported seeing the figure, though no adults were able to see to see it, though some saw crops moving as if agitated by winds, and the tops of the mango trees began burning 

May 1953. (or following year) 1300hrs.
CAGNES-SUR-MER (ALPES-MARITIMES : FRANCE)
Cinema projector and bit part actor Pierre Cavallo was pushing his bicycle home along the Ziem Avenue on a moonlit night, looking for snails as he did so, when he saw an orange cigar shaped object, surrounded by blue sparks moving silently northwards at eye level (he was on the top of a hill slope). It was visible for about 20 seconds and left a luminous blue trail. About 40 seconds after this Pierre felt a presence and saw a pale face looking over a 90cm tall hedge, which hid the body of whomever the face belonged to. The stranger was completely bald, with blue eyes that seemed to shine and a smile on his thin lips. The two stared at each other for a while and then Pierre, becoming disconcerted, peddled off. 
  • Erich Zurcher in LDLN 195 p26 citing la Revue des Soucoups Volantes no2 + Figuet and Ruchon 1979 p645
  • Patrick Goss URECAT citing investigation by Erich Zurcher and Christian Hylcnar + Figuet And Julien 1993 p223
  • Evaluation - Goss suggests that the cigar was a meteorite and that the man was just a weird local. The witness appeared to be an eccentric to say the least, at the time of the investigation he was living in shack made of scrap in the corner of a market garden and was something of a story teller

May 16 1953. 1730hrs.
BOUFFIOUX (HAINAUT : BELGIUM)
Press photographer Herman Chermanne and carpenter Roger Michel saw a brilliant circle of light surrounded by white smoke. There was a noise like the rattling of a metallic sheet and the light took off. Trees were found dry after the incident. 
  • Jacques Bonabot citing investigations by GESAG and SOBERS
  • Evaluation - Actually an alleged photograph of an object in the sky, probable hoax

May 20 1953. 1830hrs.
MARBLE CREEK (CALIFORNIA : USA)
Titanium miner John Q Black (48) who worked at nearby Brush Creek, came over the top of a rock 3m from the junction of Marble and Jordan Creeks and saw a saucer shaped object hovering over a sandbar 45m away. The machine then took off, flying east along the creek with a hissing sound. Black and his partner John J VanAllen had earlier seen unusual aerial objects on five occasions. 
  • Barker 1960 p27 citing investigation by Paul Spade
  • NB Accounts in Bowen 1966, Lorenzen 1966, Lorenzen 1976 and Wilkins 1954 suggesting an occupant seen on this occasion were incorrect

May 30 1953.
GRAND CANYON (ARIZONA : USA)
Something like a parachute was seen to fall into the canyon, though there were no planes in the vicinity. A white circular object was seen on the ground. 
  • Space Review II, 3 p10

June 1953.
(USA)
At an undisclosed location, a scientist working on the atomic bomb was at the traffic lights in his car, where the vehicle was enveloped by a ball of fire. From it emerged a young man who told him that Christ was coming soon. The scientist became a preacher. 
  • Wilkins 1956 p167
  • Evaluation - Just another rumour, presumably from evangelical sources.

June 1953. 1800hrs.
SANTA MONICA (CALIFORNIA : USA)
A newspaper reporter went to a local bus stop as requested in a phone call, and a being 2m tall, with blue white skin, high cheekbones and “oriental” eyes materialised. 
  • Wilkins 1956 p 39

June 1953. 1900hrs.
MOLFETTA (APULIA : ITALY)
A 10 year old boy (later to become a university professor) was cycling by the Il Pulo Neolithic site, a circular cave or shaft 23m deep when he suddenly saw a tiny bright silvery object, which was descending vertically over the cave. After a few seconds it stopped 50m above the site, then slowly descended into it, hovering a couple of metres above the bottom. He could now see that the object was a circular platform, with a horizontally row of portholes, surmounted by a turret 2m high, with its own row of smaller portholes. After about 10 seconds the object’s lights dimmed. Apparently from an opening in its underside, two figures, dressed in greenish “frogmen’s suits”, glowing boots and transparent helmets, emerged. They wore golden belts with a devise at navel level, which emitted a light like a miner’s lamp. One of the beings was 1.5m tall, the other 1.4. They moved around the difficult terrain with ease, at times floating in the air. The boy heard hissing sounds from the turret of the machine and from the taller being, which seem to accompany changes in the light from the belt lamps. The lad detected a sort of burning smell. 

 After some time these beings entered one of the caverns in the cave, at the same time the craft’s light dimmed to a copper colour. At this point the lad experienced a frightful headache, which lasted for days, and became dizzy. He felt ill and believed that he passed out for about 10 minutes. When he came to he felt paralysed and was some distance from where he had been before. The noise stopped and the two beings emerged from the cavern and began collecting samples from the ground, which they placed underneath their craft. They repeated this three or four times. They then seem to re-enter the machine, which then slowly rose to 50m, growing brighter as it did so. It then hovered for a few seconds, before tilting slightly and shooting up vertically at great speed, getting even brighter, ending as a star like light. The boy then cycled home, arriving late and feeling two tired for supper. When he told his mother about his adventure she warned him that no-one would believe him and to stay quiet about it. He only spoke about it in 1994. 
  • Verga 2207 p58 case 53001 citing a letter from the witness
  • Evaluation - Verga notes the curious amount of detail in an alleged 40+ year old story. The internal structure suggests it may have been based on a dream, and perhaps been assimilated to changing UFO lore over the years.

June 10 1953. 0230hrs.
HOUSTON (TEXAS : USA)
Tool plant inspector Howard Phillips (33), Hilda Walker (23) and Judy Meyers (14) were sitting in the porch of 118 East Third Street, when they saw a huge shadow cross the lawn about 8m away. It rose up into a pecan tree, where they saw that it was the figure of a man about 1.9-2m tall, dressed in grey or black tight fitting clothes and with wings resembling those of a bat. The figure, which had black boots, was surrounded by a glow. It stayed in the tree for about 30 seconds, swaying in the branches before the glow faded and it was lost to sight. Immediately afterwards they heard a whooshing sound a saw a white flash, like a torpedo, cross a neighbouring house. 
  • Redfern 2012 p126 citing Houston Post 19 June 1953.
  • Wilkins 1967a p253 citing an undated issue of Houston Chronicle
  • Barker 1956 p40+ 1960 p25
  • Keel 1975b p33)

June 13 1953. 0500hrs.
(UNITED STATES)
At an undisclosed location in the middle west Mr and Mrs Weger and their daughter saw from the road, a circular object the apparent size of a streetlight, emitting an intense noise, which made the air vibrate, rise up into the sky. 
  • Wilkins 1956 p67

June 15 1953. 0845hrs.
PITTSFIELD (MASSACHUSSETS : USA)
R Lambert and F Toupance were driving their truck towards a reservoir, on this sunny day, when they saw a gleaming cylindrical object, with a rounded front, and a sort of exhaust from which black smoke emerged. It passed over the trees at about 25kph. The thing was about 20m long and about 1.2m wide, had no features except for something like a shutter at the front. The thing was silent. 
  • Wilkins 1956 p68
  • Gross March-July 1953. p85

June 18 1953.
SOUZANIA (GOIAS : BRAZIL)
Several people saw a 50cm diameter oval object descend in a dead leaf motion and stop at a height of about 2m. It had some sort of appendage. 
  • Richard Heiden citing Carrion 1968 p133 citing O Diario (Belo Horizonte) 25 September 1953

June 20 1953.
MARBLE CREEK (CALIFORNIA : USA)
Titanium miner John Q Black (48), who worked at nearby Brush Creek, was in the woods when he looked at the junction of Marble and Jordan creeks, where he saw a small person, like a boy fishing. He paid no attention until he got within 12m of the being, who was dipping water in a basket. Nearby was a strange machine. The little man wore green trousers, a jacket and tie, strange shoes that seemed to fit his feet like gloves and a green cap over his black hair. The being was broad shouldered, appeared strong but had a very pale complexion “like someone who had never been out in the sun much” and walked in a stiff manner as if suffering from cramp. The bucket that the little man was carrying was shiny, metallic with flared sides. As Black crept closer, he cracked a dry twig, alerting the being who returned quickly to his craft. This resembled two soup bowls stuck together forming a bivalve shape. No rivets or seams were visible on its shiny metallic surface. It was about 2.5m diameter, 1.4m thick at the centre and was resting on a cylinder from which spikes jutted at intervals, up which the occupant climbed, manoeuvring through an opening. As he entered the craft, it rocked, the base was drawn in, and, after hovering for a few seconds, took off at 45 degrees, with a hissing sound, sliding sideways through the trees. A window had been visible in the craft but it did not afford a view of the interior. 
  • Barker 1956 p37 + 1960 p27 citing investigation by Paul Spade

June 24 1953. 0018hrs.
HAMPTON BAY, LONG ISLAND (NEW YORK : USA)
A civilian woman, Madelaine Ward, saw something like a large aircraft flying very slowly and low. It had a lighted red band around the middle and was coming straight towards her house with an oscillating motion. She still thought it was an aircraft of some new design, when it stopped near here, 25m above the ground Then it flew backward over the water and hovered,, making a noise like a swarm of bees. The top section supported a series of red lights and a cabin with four portholes, through which a control panel was visible, but no occupants could be seen. The cabin rose above the object, rotated then glided back. The object tilted towards the west and rose towards the southeast, disappearing within three seconds at a 60 degree angle of climb after the three minute sighting. The machine was 30m in diameter. Two days later a yellowish moss was observed at the site. 
  • Vallee Case 112 citing Blue Book Files
  • NICAP website citing James McDonald files + January Aldrich + FUFOR Index
  • Would You Believe It? 47 p8 citing Gray Barker in an unspecified issue of Flying Saucers

June 26 1953. 1000hrs.
ULAAN-UUL (KHOVSGOL : MONGOLIA)
Searching for his lost camels in a rural area Mr Damdid came across the body of a humanoid covered in brown-yellow hair. 
  • Jonathan Downes and Richard Freeman in CFZ Yearbook 1999 p42

June 28 1953. 1900hrs.
MOLFETTA (APULIA : ITALY)
While out walking close to some prehistoric ruins, Sallustio Salvemini saw a small bright orange luminous object descend to the earth rapidly and land 50m away. When the orang light dimmed Sallustio saw that it was a disc shaped object with a flat underside and surmounted by a 2m high turret. An opening appeared and from it emerged a 1.5m tall being wearing a green overall and metallic looking helmet. On its gold coloured belt was a sort of lantern emitting light. The being moved around, apparently picking up samples and putting them into the object. Sallustio then heard a loud humming sound that appeared to come from the turret and the light on the being’s belt grew brighter. At this Sallustio developed a severe headache and the being re-entered the object which shot up at terrific speed, leaving behind a sulphurous smell. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p162 citing Il Giornale del Misteri 277

Summer 1953.
WINAMAC (INDIANA : USA)
About 8 or 9 people encountered a 2m tall biped covered in long dark hair. Some children claimed that it only had one eye. One man refused to shoot at it, thinking far too human
  • Newton 2006 p82 citing Bigfoot Field Research Organisation files

Summer 1953.
ALDER CREEK CANYON (OREGON : USA)
A middle aged man out fishing had moved away from his two companions when he saw a large hairy humanoid looking at him from a thicket. 
  • Bord2006 p231 citing Bigfoot/Sasquatch Information Service Vol2 no 4 p5

Summer 1953. 1000hrs.
SLOBOZIA (IALOMITA : ROMANIA)
Gabriella D (6) saw an unusual object hovering over the fields. In the centre of this object was a small green window behind which a square face with strange eyes could be seen. The window then disappeared and the object flew away without making a sound. 
  • Hobana and Weverbergh 1974 p151

Summer 1953. 1230hrs.
LITTLE BAY (GIBRALTAR)
John Tribbick was staying with friends in Gibraltar when, as he was talking outside his girlfriend’s house when they saw a place green circular object hovering over Little Bay. It then slowly descended to just over the water and then sank into the sea. As it did so the water boiled up, with fish and dolphins jumping out of the way. 
  • Hanson and Holloway 2010a p100 direct from John Tribbick
  • Evaluation - Lacks contemporaneous documentation

Summer 1953. Afternoon.
LIVINGSTON (CALIFORNIA : USA)
A nine year old girl was picking strawberries with her Filipino immigrant parents when three disc shaped objects, 6m wide, 3m high descended out of the sky and hover low over the farmhouse 100m or so away, rotating as they did so. They got the impression that nothing bad would happen and went on with their work. 
  • Dennett 1997 p111
  • Evaluation - Story told by the child as an adult about 40 years after the alleged event

Summer 1953. Afternoon.
WARRENTON (VIRGINIA : USA)
Martha Long (10) was sitting on her front porch talking to her father when her attention was caught by three gold coloured discs, about 10m diameter, hovering over trees next to the house. She drew her father’s attention to them and as they watched the objects moved slowly over the trees. Mr Long continued with his tasks, so Martha alone saw the things reverse course and return over the fields. The central object then moved towards her, frightening and causing her to retreat indoors, looking through the screen door. After a few minutes the three objects moved off to the south west. 
  • Martha Long in Beckley 1981 p25

Summer 1953. Afternoon.
TAUNTON (MASSACHUSETTS : USA)
A boy left church to go to the playground when he noticed an unnatural quiet and the absence of people and cars. He then saw, to his right, a huge circular object hovering over a tree on a nearby hill. The upper and lower portions of the thing were rotating in opposite directions. In the centre was a stationary section with strange floor to ceiling windows. The thing made no sound. The boy felt a wave of calm and peace. He then saw, in the central section a figure leaning forward with outstretched arms. The lad now felt paralysed with fear but the spell broke and he ran back, right through the church, to get home. For the rest of the day he would not go out for fear of this thing and when he went to mass on Sunday on the way back he saw the same thing rising into the clouds. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p159 citing MUFON CMS

Summer 1953. Du
FORT POLK (LOUISIANA : USA)
A group of servicemen were training when they saw a large ovoid object with a sort of fin at its centre, crash land. Three occupants were killed but there was a survivor, a humanoid 1.2m tall, with a large head. It was said to have later died in hospital. 
  • Randle 2010 p175 citing Len Stringfield citing a former Sergeant at the base
  • Evaluation - Another unverified anecdote reported decades later

July 1953. (or following month)
REMETEA MARE (TIMIS : ROMANIA)
A self-luminous sphere, twice the apparent width of the moon came up from behind a wood (height about 25m), stood still, and then slowly descended towards the field. About 4m from the ground it suddenly went out. The orange glow could be seen over its entire surface, yet it cast to light. The observation was made by school teacher Florea Ion and two of his colleagues from a distance of 350m and lasted for three minutes. 
  • Hobana and Weverbergh 1974 p224

July 1953.
RED SPRINGS (NORTH CAROLINA : USA)
Retired mechanic Sam Coley saw an orange revolving circular object trailing a white exhaust, which illuminated the area as it narrowly missed his house and landed among his honeysuckle vines, killing them off. 
  • George Fawcett in Flying Saucers September 1962 p42
  • Evaluation - Some kind of toy hot air balloon?

July 1953. Night.
ARKADAK (SARATOV : RUSSIA then part of the USSR)
While camping on the eastern shore of the Khoper River near Arkadak, military doctor Vladimir Shabanov was in the woods gathering firewood when he noticed a light coming through the trees and went to investigate. After going 300m he came across a clearing which was filled with a sort of thick fog that was reflecting white light from an object on the ground. The thing was shaped like a bluish, metallic looking, convex lens resting on three supports. On the upper surface was a shallow spherical dome, around which was a Saturn like ring. Vladimir thought that this dome was transparent but could see nothing of the inside and there were no other marks or openings visible. Vladimir now felt sleepy and weak and then from behind the object came a number of individuals dressed in tight, slightly luminous grey overalls with tight belts. The strangers walked around the object, as if inspecting something while ignoring Vladimir. After about 10 minutes they returned to the object and appeared to be sucked up into the thing, as if into a vacuum cleaner. Seconds later the object began to emit a pinkish light and its central ring began to rotate. The object’s light then turned brilliant white like a welding torch, the supports retracted and the thing rose vertically at high speed. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p163 citing Voice n.d 1991 + UFO Navigator no 41

July 1 1953. (Approx. date) 1100hrs.
VILLARES DEL SAZ (CASTILLE-LA MANCHA : SPAIN)
An illiterate cowherd boy, Maximo Munoz Hernaiz (14), who was watching his cows in a pasture, saw what looked like a big balloon on the ground behind him, when his attention was attracted to it by a faint whistling sound. It was metallic and shaped like a water jug. Through an opening came three dwarfs, 60cm tall, with yellow, oriental faces and narrow eyes, who were dressed in blue with a sort of flat hat with a visor in front, and a metal sheet on their arms. They spoke in a language that the boy could not understand and smacked him. They then re-entered the machine, which glowed very brightly, made a soft whistling sound and went off like a rocket. Footprints and four holes 5cm deep, forming a perfect square with 36cm sides was found by the police. 
  • Antonio Ribera in Bowen 1966 p28 citing Ofensiva 12, 16, 19 + 26/July 1953. citing its own investigation
  • Ballester 1976 p3 case 12 citing above and his own investigation
  • Gross March-July 1953. p92)

July 7 1953.
MAPLETON (GEORGIA : USA)
Three people saw a red saucer shaped object land by Hw 78 near Mapleton and watched three small animals associated with it. 
  • Bernard Delair citing Blue Book Files

Late July 1953. 1305hrs.
(ENGLAND)
G. A. (12) was sitting smoking in a quarry, while on school field holiday to an undisclosed location in South East England. It suddenly seemed to go dark and he heard the voices of a rescue party from the school, who informed him that it was now 2000hrs. and he had been missing for seven hours. Despite this his cigarette was still burning. He found that he could not walk and had a feeling of not touching the ground. He had a painful red sore on the back of his neck and his pupils were dilated. He forgot about the incident next day and did not recall it until a UFO experience 10 years later. He emigrated to Canada where he had a number of other UFO experiences. As a result of these he underwent hypnotic regression in 1978. Under this he recalled that while he sat smoking, his attention was caught by a strange light which descended into a nearby clearing. He was terrified by the approach of two strange beings and by the realisation that he was unable to move. A voice in his head told him not to be afraid. He felt himself floating through the air, to a brilliant round object that hurt his eyes to look at. The beings were not much taller than the 1.35m tall schoolboy, with grey white skins, small mouths and prominent eyes. The boy climbed up a cold ladder into the object, while the beings pressed something against the back of his neck, which seemed to relax him. He was then left alone in a room with an undetectable source of illumination. The beings then returned and took him along a sort of corridor, where he was interview by an “older” being who called him “my son”, and he was shown a picture of the earth on a sort of screen. The being who interrogated him was dressed in red. He was then taken down a ramp, and found himself in or beside a dome in which there were other children. He was told to observe a spherical devise in which he saw a picture of his life flashing by. There was a woman among the beings who took his crucifix and showed it to the leader, who said it was wrong to worship. He was then told to look back at the spherical screen. The being in red then touched his shoulder and he fell asleep. When he came to, he was under the tree again. The beings had left, saying they would return
  • Haisell 1978 p 26 + David Haisell et al in Journal UFO 1,1 p2 + 1, 2 p5 citing own investigation

July 24 1953. Night.
ASH MOUNTAIN (CALIFORNIA : USA)
Park Superintendent E T Scoyen was sitting on his porch when he observed a yellow light streak by north to south along the canyon by Moro Rock. About 10 seconds later a huge ball of light, about 300m diameter rose from the spot. Similar lights had been seen over the preceding week. 
  • Lorenzen 1966 p178 citing APRO Bulletin September 1953.

July 31 1953.
MOUNT SNOWDON (CAERNARVONSHIRE : WALES)
A mysterious object was seen on the slopes of Mount Snowdon. No aircraft were missing and searches by police and fire service were fruitless. 
  • Wilkins 1967a p 258 citing various London papers of 2 August 1953.

July 31 1953. 1900hrs.
WOLIN (POMERANIA : POLAND)
A metallic object 15-20m in diameter was observed to land by five Polish and two German workers, in a field by the railway. It was shaped like a sphere with a flat disc around it, showing numerous openings at the periphery. It appeared to have Russian markings and the area was cordened off by the authorities. 
  • Spacelink 3, 2 and Vallee Case 114 citing Intelligence Digest November 1953.
  • Evaluation - Known only from a story in a dubious emigré magazine, promoting the idea that “flying saucers” were Russian secret weapons

August 1953. 1400hrs.
SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS (CALIFORNIA : USA)
Several boys and their adult counsellors at a church summer camp were standing on a lake shore when they saw a silvery saucer shaped object with a number of illuminated windows. The thing was hovering over the lake and then descended closer and which the party could see, though the windows, several humanlike figures moving about. After a brief period the thing shot straight up at terrific speed. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p167 citing NUFORC

August 1953. Later afternoon.
OTTAWA (ONTARIO : CANADA)
A group of people in a farm yard heard a sound like a high pitched engine and saw something like a twin prop aircraft with its propellers turning at tree top height about 100m away. Through what looked like portholes, they could see occupants wearing white suits and very large helmets, along with dark round goggles. Some of these people seemed to be looking at the witnesses, and seemed just as startled as the witnesses themselves. The thing was travelling no faster than walking pace before it tilted and disappeared behind a hillock. The party ran to the site, fearing a crash but nothing was found. About a month later the reporter and a friend saw something like a large barrel suspended from a large cloud by a sort of rope at treetop height only 60m away. This followed the pair and then was lost to sight behind taller trees. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p168 citing MUFON CMS
  • Evaluation - Another stoy reported decades after the alleged event, confused memories of aircraft and balloon?

August 1953. Night.
YUCCA VALLEY (CALIFORNIA : USA)
George Van Tassel was awakened by a strange object, which landed nearby. From it emerged a man dressed in a sort of grey sweat suit, who communicated in perfect English and trough telepathy, so say that he came from Venus. Three similar beings joined him and they took George a ride in their craft, There were many other contacts. 
  • James P Schmaltz in Far Out 1,IV p31
  • Evaluation - Probable hoax, Van Tassel went on to a long career as a contactee

August 1953. Night.
SHELBY (OHIO : USA)
A housewife was having a bath, ready for bed when, through the bathroom window, she saw a red luminous object descending with a wobbling motion. She then saw, on the ground, a circular object with portholes that emitted a fiery light. She also saw something that seemed to rise up and down near the garage. It seemed to resemble one luminous eye on top of another. The object on the ground and the thing that floated up and down pulsated in unison. The women sat in the bath observing this for 2 hours before calling her husband. In the next few days evergreen trees nearby turned brown and died. 
  • Swords 2005 p71 citing John Timmerman

August 2 1953. 1400hrs.
LOS ANGELES (CALIFORNIA : USA)
Orfeo Angelucci (qv) encountered a being wearing a seamless blue suit, who emerged from underneath a road bridge. They were various discussions of the usual pseudoscientific and pseudo philosophical variety. 
  • Wilkins 1956 p39

August 7 1953. 0210hrs.
BARBER’S POINT (HAWAII now part of the USA)
After an evening and night in which more than 70 unidentified objects had been seen, a strange luminous object approached a TV-1 jet from behind, approaching to within 30m before shooting to starboard and pacing the plane for 4 seconds before accelerating away at up to 1600kph. At the closest point the pilot had seen some kind of entity in the thing. 
  • Keyhoe 1955 p64 citing a letter from a “well known businessman
  • Evaluation - Little more than a rumour

August 12 1953.
LOMBARD (MARYLAND : USA)
Farmer H S Osborne was working by his mushroom house when he saw an ape like creature standing 7-8m away on the edge of a corn field. 
  • Opsasnick 2004 p76 citing The Cecil Whig 27 August 1953.

August 16 1953. 2030hrs.
TOURS (INDRE ET LOIRE : FRANCE)
Claude Pastier (or Pasquier) observed two circular objects flying very low with a “resonant and hard” sound that did not resemble any know craft. The objects moved slowly, absolutely rectilinear and in an identical fashion as if connected together. 
  • Vallee 1966a p141 citing L’Astronomie 1953.

August 17 to 20 1953. 1830hrs.
SHTANIVKA (SUMY : UKRAINE then part of the USSR)
A woman was at her garden well when she saw three people cutting down the branch of an apple tree at the end of her garden. They did the same with both a plumb and cherry tree. She thought they were thieves but getting closer saw they were very tall beings dressed in dark overalls, helmets and gloves. They claimed to be extraterrestrials and engaged in conversations about God, their peaceful home world which hover was prone to natural disasters and somehow affected by the earth’s wars, talked of three who had been sent ahead and were now missing etc. She now saw that the strangers were about 3.5m tall, with a third eye in the forehead and only small indentations for ears and six digit webbed hands. They melted some wood with something like a tube, told her they never seen anything like the picture on an icon. The y then pointed out a silvery sphere hovering just above the ground with another similar tall being stood next to it. They would not take flowers from her, taking only petals as samples, in tubes they had been putting other samples in and offered her something like bread, but she was put off by its dark interior and handed back. They told her there was good sand and gold nearby. The beings then walked to the sphere in a peculiar waddling manner, waved as they entered and the thing took off at terrific speed. An independent witness Lina Ivanova Kravets was on her way to visit her aunt when she saw a silver globe flying at 40-50m altitude about 100m away in the outskirts of the village. She last saw it descend behind some trees. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p169 citing Anton Anfalov and the Yaroslav UFO Group

August 19 1953. 1500hrs.
LOMBARD (MARYLAND : USA)
H S Osborne (qv) was working on his farm in the company when they saw a 1.8m tall humanoid covered in brown hair, with a circle of pink around its face. The thing was stood behind a fence and walked on two legs. 
  • Opsasnick qv

August 20 1953. (Approx. date) Late night.
LOUISVILLE (KENTUCKY : USA)
A young boy asleep in his grandparent’s trailer, awoke to see a very thin being with an oval head and large dark eyes. When the thing realised that the boy was awake it stood straight up and walked out of the room and down the corridor in a jerky fashion, l like something viewed through a strobe light. The figure then just vanished on the spot. 
  • Nunnelly 2017b p108
  • Evaluation - Another story told decades later and influenced by later lore)

August 21 1953. 1800hrs.
CIUDAD VALLES (SAN LOIS PORTOSI : MEXICO)
Salvador Villanueva Medina was repairing his taxi when he was approached by two men, 1.2-1.35m tall, wearing coveralls with wide perforated shiny belts, metal collars and small black shiny boxes on their backs and carrying helmets under their arms. Thinking they were pilots of some kind, Salvador invited them into his can. After a conversation with the one sitting next to him, Salvador became suspicious. The men told him that they were from a distant world and gave details of life on it. They offered to show Salvador their machine, and next day led him through muddy country, which did not seem to affect their clothing, their belts glowing as if by a strange force, until they reached a contraption shaped like two bowls stuck together, 12m diameter, resting on a tripod of spheres. An opening appeared in the craft through which the beings entered, gesturing to Salvador to follow, but he ran away. The machine, glowing white, rose with a perpendicular motion to some hundreds of metres before accelerating away. There are various contradictions in differing accounts of this story, labelled a definite hoax by some investigators. 
  • Desmond Leslie in FSR 2,2 p8 citing own investigation
  • Reeve 1957 p55 citing investigation by Helen and Bryant Reeve
  • Richard Heiden citing Joao Martins in O Cruzeiro International 1 December 1957 citing investigations by Rafael Asurez, Bryant Reeve, William Geddert and Alfonso Perez
  • V-J Ballester Olmos citing letter from Pablo Petrowisch

August 23 1953. 0030hrs.
ST JOHNS (NEWFOUNDLAND : CANADA)
James Byrne (41) and his fiancée were parked in a small off road field outside St John’s, listening to music when the radio and car engine both failed. The woman then pointed out to James a circular shadow moving on the ground ahead of them. It came from a circular object about 15m diameter, had a rounded underside was surrounded by multi-coloured flames, 1-3m long, projecting to the ground. As James bent to down to check the ignition he felt a tingling in his body and the car became filled with light and James guessed that the object was no more than 2.5m above the car. His fiancée appeared to be in some sort of trance. Moments later the object was 6m away and at 6m altitude. After being stationary for a few seconds the object moved off in a zigzag fashion, disappearing in seconds. James then heard a voice in his head telling him not to say anything and that they would be back. The radio and engine came back on again and his fiancée woke up. They realised it was now 1200hrs.. He drove her to her nearby home and then drove to his own house in St John’s where he realised that if was now 0400. His neck felt itchy after the incident. The relationship collapsed after this and his fiancée moved away and married someone else. James met her in 1977 at which time she denied any knowledge of the incident. 
  • Ledger 1998 p39
  • Evaluation - Only narrated decades after the event

August 23 1953. Late afternoon.
EAST CANTON (OHIO : USA)
Walter N Webb and his friend Don Lund were driving east along US Rte. 30 between East Canton and Minerva when they saw a white circular object crossing the road ahead, north to south, at about 30m altitude. They were only able to observe the thing briefly because of steep banks to the road, and when these cleared their view was blocked by a car tuning in ahead of them. By the time they had a clear view the object had vanished 
  • Maney and Hall 1961 p157 citing Walter N Webb

August 23 1953. 2355hrs.
REDON (ILLE-ET VILLAINE : FRANCE)
Alerted by one of his two little girls, who said the moon was moving, a man looked up and saw a circular luminous thing coming down. From it was projected the head of man with a helmet on. The object then turned red and the head of a woman appeared. After a few minutes everything vanished. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p174 citing SOS OVNI)

August 24 1953.
LOMBARD (MARYLAND : USA)
A woman saw a hairy humanoid moving through trees near her home on Egg Hill. She called the police. 
  • Opsasnick op cit

September 1953.
SATONA (CANTABRIA : SPAIN)
On a clear night Mr F Campana saw an object rise from the sea 3.5km away at a 75 degree angle. The object appeared solid and was bright blue in colour. It rose sharply towards the north east for one minute and then saw lost to sight. 
  • Ballester 1976 p3 case 13 citing investigation by Felix Ares

September 3 1953.
CLEVELAND (OHIO : USA)
Mr Cashman (18) was in Bedford Park when a large luminous object manouvered among the treetops. A branch was severed and hit Cashman. The same thing was seen two days later and some boys tried to approach the object, which propelled at stone at them, injuring one of them. 
  • Gross August-December 1953. p32 citing Wilkins 1954 p204)

September 4 1953. 2130hrs.
TONNERRE (YONNE : FRANCE)
Mrs D saw two objects on the ground near a chapel, one was round, the other elongated. She then saw three men, 1.5m tall, thick set with broad shoulders and dressed in dark suits. Their oversized heads were covered by helmets and they wore boots. They ran silently towards the objects, as if skimming across the ground. One entered the elongated object, which was 5m long, 1.5m wide. It spread wings that made it look like a butterfly. The other two creatures entered the metallic sphere, which was 3m high. Inside transparent parts of the elongated object she could see the heads and shoulders of two or three other beings. This elongated object then assumed a vertical position, standing on a tripod, and both objects took off. Next day the witness found four cylindrical traces at the site; three holes about 10cm diameter where the tripod had stood and one where the sphere had stood. They were perfectly regular and ground inside was like cement. 
  • Vallee Case 117 + Alain Gamard both citing Phen Spax 15 p21

September 9 1953.
MOAB (UTAH : USA)
A member of a movie crew in Castle Valley saw a white sphere passing between a notch in a rock formation. 
  • Richard Heiden citing Walter Webb in APRO Bulletin September 1954

September 12 1953. Night.
BROVST (NORJYLLAND : DENMARK)
A young woman was cycling home, when she was knocked off her bicycle by two beings who tried to drag her into a field. As she struggled with them, she felt their skin was cold and rough like fish scales. She managed to escape and hide in a ravine. She said that the beings were luminous and gilded. 
  • Patrick Gross citing Roneker 2001 p25 citing Kolosimo (1966/70)
  • Vallee case 118 citing Jimmy Guieu. This reference is not to Guieu 1956a or b
  • Jacques Vallee in FSR 10,2 p22
  • Evaluation - A fragmentary story that Vallee in 1964 considered a hoax. Clearly Kolosimo 1966 cannot be the primary source, as Vallee was commenting on it two years before

September 22 1953.
BADAXE (MICHIGAN : USA)
A multi-coloured light was seen in a gravel pit. No further details. 
  • Table of American landings
  • An undated issue of APRO Bulletin

September 27 1953. 1600hrs.
MAQUOKETA (IOWA : USA)
Two people saw a domed disc at very low altitude on a farm near a road south west of here. It sped away when approached 
  • J B Delair citing Saucers 1,3 p11
  • Gross 1990

October 1953. (Approx. date) Early hours.
TEMPLESTOWE, MELBOURNE (VICTORIA : AUSTRALIA)
A woman heard a loud humming sound outside her house. Investigating she saw a large disc shaped object hovering about 10m above a paddock. After 15 seconds the thing took off at terrific speed. No openings were visible on its surface. 
  • Wilkins 1956 p 212 citing Australian Flying Saucer Investigation Committee report

October 1953. (Approx. date)
LIBERTY (KENTUCKY : USA)
Two boys playing outside their house heard a sound like two sticks being hit together from their neigbour’s house. Going to investigate they encountred, about 8m away, a hairy creature that stood up. It was 1.8-2m tall, brown with a grey chest area and showed fangs. It seemed to using the sticks to turn up the soil. 
  • Newton 2010 p56

October 1953. 1800hrs.
HOLMES COUNTY (OHIO : USA)
Mrs Mart Unger and her daughter Rose were riding in a horse and buggy when they saw an object like many discs joined together, turning on its side from time to time. The thing or things were dark grey in colour and came down very low. 
  • Williamson 1959 p128

October 6 1953. Early hours.
ASHEVILLE (NORTH CAROLINA : USA)
A truck driver driving out of town caught in his headlights a 1.2m tall humanoid with a frog like head standing by the side of the road. Moments later a sort of blue streak crossed the sky ahead. 
  • Redfern 2017 p299

October 9 1953.
GUADALAJARA (JALISCO : MEXICO)
Antonio Apadoca (23) was on his ranch some 6 hours journey time from Guadalajara, repairing a fence with two hired hands, when their attention was caught by a shiny blue circular object slowly descending, with a rocking motion, some 100m away. After the object had landed, two small beings approached with short steps, their hands in the air. The taller of the two beings was 1.2m tall, the second, somewhat shorter, said “we are friends” in Spanish, as he got within4m. These beings wore grey corduroy “aviators’ suits”, closely fitting at the wrists and ankles, and covering their hands and feet. Their large helmets could not conceal their long grey hair or cat like eyes. Apadoca was also struck by the beings belts. He invited the two strangers in for a meal, telling his mother they were friends from town, and an inspection of the farm. Eventually realising that they were from another world, Apadoca was invited on board their craft, where they went on a visit to a “mother ship”. Here the strangers spoke in their own guttural tongue. They then went on to the visitors’ home world. Altogether Apadoca was away for four days. The begins returned again some weeks later and stayed for three days. The other world was reminiscent of Wellsian science fiction. 
  • M Gebe in Awareness Winter 1976 p 28 citing a letter from Apadoca to Salavdor Villanueva

October 25 1953. 2130hrs.
SANTA FE (NEW MEXICO : : USA)
High school student Jim Milligan (16) was driving his car in a lonely road when something resembling a sheet of metal passed his windscreen. He braked rapidly, fearing a collision but the object landed in some roadside bushes. Jim cautiously approached the object, which resembled two boat hulls stuck together, 3m long, 1.5m wide, of dull, gun metal colour. As Jim attempted to touch it, the machine rose swiftly over a wooden fence and took off in a steep ascent towards Santa Fe. No odour or smoke was detected. Milligan was left pale and trembling 
  • Wilkins 1954 p 216 citing New Mexican of about 2nd November 1953.
  • Gross August-December 1953. p36 citing Albuquerque Tribune 3 November 1953.

November 1953. 1835hrs.
SKI (AKERSHUS : NORWAY)
Master painter and contactor Tryggve Jansen was driving home from Oslo, accompanied by Mrs Gundrun Bufled, who had arrived from Trysil to visit the Janesens. They were talking causally until they reached the Gjersjoen Bridge on the Mossevi road where they noticed a luminous object manoeuvring at low altitude. It was coming and going and buzzing the car, on one occasion forcing Jansen to veer sharply to avoid it. When the object reappeared again and hovered just above the road ahead Jansen was forced to stop the car. The object resembled a plate with a bulge in the centre and tapering sides. It was 1.5m in diameter and 2m thick, and had a top on top and projections underneath. The craft was of a deep yellow colour, like that of the setting sun. On the side turned away from them was a grill surrounded by a ring 40cm in diameter, glowing like molten metal. On each side of the craft were gas like wings 15m long, which shortened while it hovered. During the minute that the object hovered the pair felt as though they were being scrutinised. Jansen felt only an irritating prickle on his hands and face but Mrs Bufled was paralysed in her arms.
Then the machine increased in brilliancy, the wings extended and the thing flew away overhead very low, disappearing over the woods. As it did so they heard an explosion, which was heard over a wide area. Jansen found that his watch had stopped and later found that it was over magnetised. When they arrived home they were astonished to see that the beige yellow paint on the car had become bright green. This colour slowly faded away during the following days. Both Jansen and Bufled felt unwell and lacked an appetite that evening. 
  • Gosta Rehn in APRO Bulletin March 1962 p1 citing interview with Jansen by Ms Inga Moller in an undated issue of Swedish paper Allers
  • Olsen 1966 p2-25 citing above
  • Carl Olsen in FSR 2,5 p6
  • Cramp 1966 p222
  • Vallee Case 120
  • Trench 1958 p96 citing Carl Olsen
  • Evaluation - The report in Allers appears to be the only source for this story

November 1953. (apprx date)
ZANESVILLE (OHIO : USA)
On a farm near Zanesville, Albert Grear was unable to prevent his brother James levitating into the air. Albert and his hired hand saw James disappear into the sky, and then saw a blinding flash speeding to the North East. 
  • Binder 1968 + Flammonde 1971 p61 citing Saucerian Bulletin n.d.
  • Evaluation - Newspaper hoax or a joke by Barker?

November 10 1953. Sunset.
ASOLO (VENETO : ITALY)
Two farmers were working in their field when three large luminous objects descended 10m from a barn. Other witnesses arrived, some of whom saw the objects take off, while others saw strange beings moving around the landed objects. A local radio ham picked up strange messages. Beings were said to have gone into the village to establish contact with the residents. 
  • Verga 2007 p60 case 5302 citing Gazzetta del Popolo 21 September 1964
  • Evaluation - Verga concludes this was a fictional story told in 1964 to promote a science fiction film about a UFO landing in an Italian village

November 28 1953.
PEDRAS NEGRAS (RONDONIA : BRAZIL)
While duck hunting on the banks of the Guapora River, two hours walking distance from the village of Pedras Negras, Pedro Serrate and Francisco de Assis Teixeira saw an unusual aircraft that landed on the river 50m away from Teixeira, 4m from Serrate. The craft was 4m long, 2.5m wide, 2m high, with a glass structure 1m high on top. This craft also had a kind of rudder and two pipes at the rear. In the machine were six people, three on each side (four men, two women). The occupants were of medium height, had red or blond hair, white skin and a reddish colour on their faces. The women had long hair to the shoulders, platted to the side. All were wearing thick clothes of the same blue colour as the craft. When Serrate approached within 3m of the object, it ascended at incredible speed, disappearing within a second. 
  • Lorenzen 1967 p196
  • Lorenzen 1976 pp. 144, 371
  • Ribera 1968 59
  • Ribera 1966 p181
  • Aglanda 1968 p 371

December 1953.
SHERBROOKE (QUEBEC : CANADA)
Mrs Orfei heard a knock at the door in the middle of the night and obtained no answer when she asked who it was. When more furious knocks were heard, her Alsatian dog jumped towards the door, but suddenly retreated, trembling as if terrified and retired to a corner. Mrs Orfei went up to an upper floor and saw two indescribable shadows go away from the house. A little while later, a big round object took off 100m away, with a blue-green lightening. The police found broken bushes as evidence of an enormous weight. 
  • Vallee Case 121 citing Oltre il Cielo Vol 1

December 12 1953. 1930hrs.
MENTONE, MELBOURNE (VICTORIA : AUSTRALIA)
Mr G Pretty was driving with two other men on the Nepean highway between Highett and Mentone when his attention was caught by a young couple on the side of the road pointing to the north east. Between 3-4.5km distant a disc shaped object was descending towards the ground. The metallic object was turning and seemed to disappear before it hit the ground. One of the two men in the front seat of the car also saw this 
  • Hervey 1969 p69

Mid December 1953. 1200hrs.
TONE (NEW MEXICO : USA)
Julian Torres was awoken by his dog, which was tied up outside, barking and whining. Fearing a cattle thief Julian grabbed his gun and ran to the back door. There he saw an orange –red light about 4m diameter on or just above the ground in an alfalfa field about 2 city blocks away. His wife, who was woken was too afraid to look at the thing and got their baby and hid. After two or three minutes the thing’s light intensified, lighting up the whole area, and it took off at 45 degrees at terrific speed. 
  • Gross, August-December 1953. 
  • SN p49 citing investigation by Robert Livingstone (letter from R L to Donald Keyhoe 15 February 1956)

December 24 1953. 2335hrs.
EWELL (SURREY : ENGLAND)
Three men were out walking when a “misshapen” being, 1.5m tall, dressed in a bottle green suit, knee length boots and conical hat ran across the road in front of them and disappeared. One of the men did not see the thing, though the other two did. The face looked sharp but the features could not be clearly made out. 
  • Johnson 2014 p16

December 23 1953. Evening.
PORTO ALEGRE (RIO GRANDE DO SUL : BRAZIL)
A metallic looking discoid object was seen on the ground. Three individuals with long brown hair and wearing tight brown overalls were seen getting in it. Some minutes later an older looking but similar man got, stood for a while and then re-entered the thing, which then took off at high speed. 
  • Rosales 1950/54 p186 citing Revista Brazileira Ovni

December 25 1953.
TROLAK FOREST RESERVE (PERAK : MALAYA now MALAYSIA)
A 16 year old girl, Yong Yee Moi, was engaged in rubber tapping when she was grabbed by a pair of dark hairy arms. When she turned round she saw it was a hair covered female wearing a sort of bark skirt and with her were two males wearing bark loincloths and carrying curved knives. They spoke in a language like the chirping of birds. Corporal Washib of the Malay Home Guard went to investigate and saw three such creatures digging in the ground with their hands. The next day another young girl was terrified by seeing the creatures swimming. The day after that another rubber tapper, Mr Appiasamy was embraced by an animal like “ape woman”. The beings were described as tall, with long head hair and long protruding fangs. Some described them as dressed in skins, others as dressed in loin cloths. 
  • Izzard 1955 p71 citing Tony Beamish on Radio Malaya 31 December 1953.
  • Doug Cousins in Fortean Times 195 p52 citing Tony Beamish)

December 31 1953.`
QUANTICO MARINE BASE (VIRGINIA : USA)
From December 29 to January 3 1954 lights were seen down to treetop level. On this night two marines saw an unusual round object that throbbed and pulsated and emitted red lights. 
  • Vallee Case 122
  • Wilkins, 1956 p202, 1967b p210
  • Hall 1964 p31 citing UPI 4 January 1954