1961

• 1961.0300 Tacker article
  

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  The March 1961 issue of Argosy magazine contains article by Colonel Lawrence Tacker.

   

   

   

• 1961.0415 Optical Masers article

   

  

  Optical Masers article
  On 15 April 1961, an article entitled “Interstellar and Interplanetary Communication by Optical Masers” by Dr. Robert N Schwartz and Professor Charles H Townes was published in the journal Nature, proposing optical SETI.

   

   

   

• 1961.0418 Eagle River “pancake”
  

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  On 18 April 1961, Joe Simonton of Eagle River, Wisconsin claims to have been provided with pancakes by occupants of a flying saucer in return for a jug of water.

  This incident is Case 45 in Isaac Koi's "Top 100" article,  since it was referred to in 57 of the books covered by that article.

  This was Project Blue Book Case Number 7372.

   

• 1961.0919 Hill abduction
  

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  Betty and Barney Hill claim to have been abducted during night of 19th-20th September 1961 while driving near Indian Head, just south of Littleton, New Hampshire, USA. (Commonly referred to as “the Hill’s Abduction”).

  This incident is Case 2 in Isaac Koi's "Top 100" article,  since it was referred to in 292 of the books covered by that article.

  As part of a survey by the Fortean Times in 2007 of various researchers of the ten cases from 1947 onwards that interested them the most:

  • ufologist Stanton Friedman indicated that this incident was his “top case”. Similarly, in comments in 2006 he referred to this incident as “my favorite”.
  • ufologist Peter Brookesmith indicated that this incident was one of two UFO cases with the “the greatest cultural effect”.

  This incident has also featured in lists by various UFO researchers of the top UFO cases, including the following:

  • a list of the ten “best” case published by Ronald Story in his book “UFOs and the Limits of Science” (1981).
  • a list by Don Berliner of “the top 10 cases of World Ufology” in an interview made available on the UFO UpDates discussion List on 14 January 2007.
  • a list by James Carrion, the International Director of the Mutual UFO Network, of the “top 10 cases” in an interview in 2006.
  • a list of Dennis Balthaser’s “ten favourite cases” in an article in the MUFON Journal in 2003.
  • a list of cases produced by Thomas E Bullard as part of a survey by the Fortean Times in 2007 of various researchers of the ten cases from 1947 onwards that interested them the most.
  • a list of cases produced by Hilary Evans as part of a survey by the Fortean Times in 2007 of various researchers of the ten cases from 1947 onwards that interested them the most.

   

• 1961.1002 Waldo Harris sighting
  

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  On 2 October 1961, there was an alleged daylight disc sighting by Waldo J Harris and others at Salt Lake City, Utah.

   

   

   

• 1961.1100 Drake Equation

   

  

  Drake Equation
  During November 1961, the Drake Equation (also known as the “Green Bank Formula”) was put forward by Frank Drake at a meeting organised by the Space Science Board of the National Academy of Sciences at the Green Bank Observatory.