# Pre-1940s UFOs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2007, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154 "2007-03-23T11:01:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154/1 "2007-03-23T11:01:51Z")
Are there are known accounts of UFO sightings before, say 1940? How about before the Wright Brothers? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154/2 "2007-03-23T11:33:20Z")
How about [1904](http://www.temporaldoorway.com/ufo/report/19040228.htm)? > [@](#): > > "The meteors appeared near the horizon and below the clouds, traveling in a group from northwest by north (true) directly toward the ship. > > "At first their angular motion was rapid and color a rather bright red. > > "As they approached the ship they appeared to soar, passing above the clouds at an elevation of about 45 degrees. > > "After rising above the clouds their angular motion became less and less until it ceased, when they appeared to be moving directly away from the earth at an elevation of about 75 degrees and in the direction west-northwest (true). > > "It was noted that the color became less pronounced as the meteors gained in angular elevation. > > "3. When sighted the largest meteor was in the lead followed by second in size at a distance of less than twice the diameter of the larger, and then by the third in size at a similar distance from the second in size. They appeared to be traveling in echelon, and so continued as long as in sight. > > "4. The largest had an apparent area of about six suns. It was egg-shaped , the sharper end forward. This end was jagged in outline. The after end was regular and full in outline. That report was by Lt. Frank Herman Schofield who later became commander of the Pacific Fleet. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154/3 "2007-03-23T11:49:23Z")
There were reports of “Phantom Airships” about 1890. We’ve had a discussion of them on this Board before. Usually they were supposed to be earth people, a la Jules Verne’s “Robur the Conqueror”, but in at least two cases they were said to be extraterrestrial. Philp Klass devotes an entire chapter to such things in his 1975 debunking book **UFOs Explained** ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154/4 "2007-03-23T12:07:25Z")
Ezekiel? > [@](#): > > I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was that of a man, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings, and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154/5 "2007-03-23T12:10:46Z")
India - Vimanas - Antigravity vehicles. You would likely finid the translations of ancient Indian texts of interrest. It has Vimanas, possible nuclear bombs, space travel, war between two factions one being Atlantis, and much more. Do a search under key terms like Vimanas and you find more than you can read. The research may lead to the China India border, or the China pyramids. This is one of those topics where you’ll have to research yourself, because it doesn’t have a factual answer, other than there are sighting of UFOs before 1940. There are countless web sites on it also. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154/6 "2007-03-23T12:13:50Z")
[QUOTE=Jinx] Are there are known accounts of UFO sightings before, say 1940? How about before the Wright Brothers? [/QUOTE] UFOs in the strictest sense of the term, unidentified flying object? Sure, our friend [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unidentified_flying_object) helps 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154/7 "2007-03-23T13:07:02Z")
Do you count unidentified Mystery Blimps? There was a rash of them in the 1880s or 1890s. Jim ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pre-1940s-ufos/397154/8 "2007-03-23T13:31:35Z")
Phantom Airships page: > **[Mystery airship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_airship)** > > The mystery airship or phantom airship was an airship that thousands of people across the United States claimed to have observed during late 1896 and early 1897. Typical airship reports involved night time sightings of unidentified lights, but more detailed accounts reported ships comparable to a dirigible. Mystery airship reports are seen as a cultural predecessor to modern claims of extraterrestrial-piloted flying saucer-style UFOs. > Reports of the alleged crewmen and pilots usually describ...