UFO Timeline

On 24 April 1964, there was a report of a landed UFO with nearby crew by Deputy Lonnie Zamora sighting near Socorro, New Mexico.

This incident is Case 5 in Isaac Koi's "Top 100" article,  since it was referred to in 180 of the books covered by that article.

This incident came first in a survey in 1965 by Jacques Vallee of the opinion of various UFO groups as to the most significant UFO sightings. As part of the same survey, NICAP included this case in a list of 5 cases which it nominated as being the best.

J Allen Hynek has said this incident was “one of the soundest, best substantiated reports as far as it goes”.

This incident featured in a document (“the Rockefeller Briefing Document”) endorsed by Dr Mark Rodeghier (President of CUFOS), Richard Hall (Chairman of FUFOR) and Walter Andrus (President of MUFON) as containing “the best available evidence for the existence of UFOs”.

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

• a list of twenty UFO cases produced by Bruce Maccabee in 1999 in response to a challenge to produce “the best evidence for an extraterrestrial origin for the UFO phenomenon”.
• 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 of Dennis Balthaser’s “ten favourite cases” in an article in the MUFON Journal in 2003.

 

 

 

On 24 May 1964, a photograph taken by fireman Jim Templeton of his daughter on the Solway marshes (near Carlisle, England) includes an apparent image of figure in a “spacesuit”. (Commonly referred to as “the Solway Spaceman”).

 

 

 

In June 1964, the first “Congress of Scientific Ufologists” held, in Cleveland, Ohio. The annual “Congress” was later renamed the “National UFO Conference”  (“NUFOC”).

 

 

 

On 4 July 1964, flares were reported over Clearwater, Florida. Dr J Allen Hynek and Dr Jacques Vallee suggested that the US Air Force intentionally dropped the flares and then requested information from members of the public about six “mysterious” red lights seen in the area. Dr Menzel suggests the flares were dropped as part of the Fourth of July celebrations.