1953

  • 1953.0000 Antimatter rocket

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    During 1953, Eugen Sanger proposed the antimatter rocket.

     

     

     

  • 1953.0000 Movie “Invaders from Mars”

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    “Invaders from Mars”
    The movieInvaders from Mars” (1953) was directed by William Cameron Menzies.

     

     

     

  • 1953.0000 Movie “It Came From Outer Space”

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    “It Came From Outer Space”
    The movieIt Came From Outer Space” (1953) was based on a story by Ray Bradbury.

     

     

  • 1953.0000 Movie “The War of the Worlds”

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    “The War of the Worlds”
    The movieThe War of the Worlds” (1953) was based on the novel by H G Wells. Screenplay written by Barre Lyndon. Directed by Byron Haskin. Produced by George Pal.

     

     

     

  • 1953.0109 Pentacle Memo

     

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    Pentacle Memo
    A memo (commonly referred to as “the Pentacle Memo”) by Howard C Cross of the Battelle Memorial Institute dated 9 January 1953 noted that at a meeting on 12 December 1952 “our representatives strongly recommended that [the proposed Robertson Panel] not be set up until the results of our analysis of the sighting-reports collected by ATIC were available”.

     

     

     

  • 1953.0114 Robertson Panel

     

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    Robertson Panel

    The Robertson Panel (i.e. the “Scientific Advisory Panel on Unidentied Flying Objects” chaired by Robertson) meets to consider evidence between 14th January 1953 and 19th January 1953.

     

     

     

  • 1953.0216 Durant memo

     

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    Durant memo

    On 16 February 1953, a memo from Fred C Durant to the Assistant Director for Scientific Intelligence providing a brief history of the meetings of the O/SI Advisory Panel (“the Robertson Panel”) and expressed to set forth “comments and suggestions of the Panel Members which they believed were inappropriate for inclusion in the formal report”. Often referred to as “the Durant Report”. The formal report of the Robertson Panel (often referred to as “the Robertson Report”) appears at Tab 1 to the Durant Report.

     

  • 1953.0315 “World Contact Day”

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    On 15 March 1878, “World Contact Day” was organised by Albert K Bender, involving a mass attempt to telepathically broadcast a message to extraterrestrials beginning “Calling occupants of interplanetary craft!”.

     

     

     

  • 1953.0515 Miller-Urey Experiment

     

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    Miller-Urey Experiment
    On 15 May 1953, the journal Scienceincludes an article by Stanley Miller (a graduate student under the supervision of Harold Urey) entitled “Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions”. (Commonly referred to as the “Miller-Urey Experiment”).

     

     

     

  • 1953.0725 Air Force FLYOBRPTS

     

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    Air Force FLYOBRPTS
    On 25 July 1953, USAF’s ATIC produces guide entitled “How to make FLYOBRPTS” for use by intelligence officers or anyone else who might be required to submit a Report of a unidentified Flying Object (a FLY OB RPT or “FLYOBRPT”).

     

     

     

  • 1953.0800 4602nd Air Intelligence

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    During August 1953, 4602nd Air Intelligence Squadron began to take over all field investigations for Project Bluebook.

    [Date to be checked - different sources give different dates during 1953.]

     

     

  • 1953.0805 Rapid City incident

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    The Rapid City, South Dakota, radar-visual jet case incident occurred on 5-6 August 1953.

    [Date to be checked - There has been some confusion over the date of this incident. Ruppelt states a date of 12 August 1953, which is repeated by several authors. Project Blue Book documents indicate the date was 5 August 1953].

     

     

  • 1953.0813 Flying Saucer Convention

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    On 16-18August 1953, “Flying Saucers International” (“FSI”) holds an event in the Hollywood Hotel, Los Angeles billed as “The World’s First Flying Saucer Convention”.

     

     

     

  • 1953.0823 Drury movie film

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    On 23 August 1953, an object was filmed emerging from a cloud over Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (then an Australian territory) by Thomas C Drury, Deputy Director of the Department of Civil Aviation (commonly referred to as “the Drury movie film”).

     

     

     

  • 1953.0826 Air Force Regulation 200-2

     

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    Air Force Regulation 200-2
    Air Force Regulation 200-2 (“AFR 200-2”) dated August 26, 1953 superseded the more complicated reporting system in Air Force Letter 200-5 issued April 29, 1952.

    (AFR 200-2 was subsequently superseded by Air Force Regulation 80-17 dated 1966.0919.)

     

     

     

  • 1953.0914 KLEE station identification

     

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    KLEE station identification
    The station identification of KLEE (a television station in Houston, Texas) was seen on television sets in England until 14 September 1953. Some authors have suggested a link to UFOs.

     

     

     

  • 1953.1000 British Flying Saucer Bureau

     

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    British Flying Saucer Bureau
    During October 1953, the “British Flying Saucer Bureau” was founded by Edgar L Plunkett.

     

     

  • 1953.1102 Air Force Letter 200-2 modified

     

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    Air Force Letter 200-2 modified
    Air Force Letter 200-2A (2 November 1953) modified Air Force Letter 200-2 entitled “Unidentified Flying Objects Reporting” (“FLYOBRPT”).

     

     

     

  • 1953.1103 West Malling incident

     

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    West Malling incident
    On 3 November 1953, a UFO was reportedly seen by Flying Officer Terry Johnson and his navigator, Flying Officer Geoffrey Smythe, during a flight in a Vampire fighter from RAF West Malling.

    (Commonly referred to as “the West Malling incident”).

     

     

     

  • 1953.1123 Felix Moncla "disappearance"

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    On 23 November 1953, the Kinross Air Force Base, Michigan F-89 jet chase / alleged "disappearance" occurred over Soo Locks, Michigan.

    This incident involved pilot Lt. Felix Moncla Jr and radar observer Lt R R Wilson.

    This incident is Case 54 in Isaac Koi's "Top 100" article,  since it was referred to in 52 of the books covered by that article.

    This incident came seventh in a survey in 1965 by Jacques Vallee of the opinion of various UFO groups as to the most significant UFO sightings.