Page 5 - 201002 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2010

February 2010_june_july_2009.qxd 18/02/2010 9:03 AM Page 5 The Oregon UFO Wave That Wasn't 5 The Oregon UFO Wave 1. Although this may sound like an The Great UFO Hoax of That Wasn't exaggeration, it is a conservative estimate. See 2009 Bartholomew, R.E. (1990). “The Airship Continued from Page 5 Hysteria of 1896-97.” Skeptical Inquirer 14(2):171-181. by Sharon Begley 2. T.E. Bullard. (1982). Mysteries in the A note of optimism Eye of the Beholder: UFOs and Their Correlates If you prefer to keep a little magic in your life— as a Folkloric Theme Past and Present. Doctoral It is certainly discouraging for skeptics who by which I mean believing in the possibility of address the UFO question to see that over the dissertation, Indiana University Folklore UFOs—then read no further. For I am going to Department. past fifty years, numerous sighting waves have 3. I.F. Clarke, (1986). “American tell you about the latest UFO hoax. occurred in the US and around the world Anticipations: The First of the Futurists.” You may remember the sightings of a involving UFOs, with a great deal of press Futures 18:584-596. UFO over Morristown, N.J., in January 2009, speculation that they are or may be alien which was blogged about and even captured on 4. Hot air balloons are not encompassed spaceships. In 1998, UFOs sighting reported in under this definition of successful flight. video that has been posted to YouTube as clips the mass media remain as common as ever, However, such modes of transport are unlikely from TV broadcasts and an amateur astronomer. despite a total absence of confirming physical to be mistaken for an airship. Balloons of the It was all a hoax, as the perpetrators evidence that they represent extraterrestrial period were highly unstable, clumsy, sensitive reveal in eSkeptic. biological entities. There has also been an Last November, Joe Rudy and Chris upsurge in the publication of UFO books and to even slight wind shifts, dangerous to fly at Russo, two 20-somethings, were sitting around night, and could not remotely perform the pseudo-documentaries in recent years. This has sophisticated maneuvers reported by “airship” discussing pseudoscience and the many people happened despite the appearance of several observers. These same proscriptions applied to who believe one or another form of it. Rudy excellent books examining the subject, lighter-than-airships of the period, which were describes himself as “an avid reader of Skeptic including Robert Sheaffer’s The UFO Verdict magazine” who teaches science and gives (1981), UFOs Explained by Philip Klass (1974), bulky and impractical. private music lessons. Russo works in sales and 5. McMinnville Telephone-Register, and Donald Menzel and Ernest Taves The UFO November 26, 1896, p. 3. says he “intends to continue his quest to spread Enigma (1977). Optimistically, what happened 6. “That California Airship...It Slid over reason and truth, one pseudoscience at a time. in Oregon during 1896-97 is encouraging as it Portland in the Fog,” Evening Telegram “We had always had a strong interest in why suggests that with responsible reporting, mass people were so easily fooled by such irrational delusions can be extinguished before they get (Portland), December 1, 1896, p. 3. superstitions as psychic ability, spiritual 7. “California’s Fake,” Dallas Times out of hand. By “responsible” I mean reporting Mountaineer, November 28, 1896, p. 2. mediums, alien abductions, and the like,” they not only what is claimed, but interviewing 8. Portland Oregonian, November 29, write. So they “set out on a mission to help experts such as astronomers, psychologists and 1896, p. 4. people think rationally and question the other specialists who may offer alternative credibility of so-called UFO ‘professionals’.” explanations that provide a balanced viewpoint 9. “Coincidents,” Roseburg Plaindealer, They cooked up a spaceship hoax “to November 30, 1896, p. 1. show everyone how unreliable eyewitness 10. Weekly Herald-Disseminator, ABOUT THE AUTHOR accounts are, along with investigators of Albany, November 26, 1896, p. 4. UFOs.” They used five feet of fishing line to tie 11. Coos Bay News, Marshfield, Robert E. Bartholomew is a sociologist flares to each of five three-foot helium balloons at James Cook University in Queensland, December 2, 1896, p. 3. and launched them from a field on Jan. 5, 2009. 12. Eugene Register, December 11, Australia. He is coauthor of UFOs and Alien 1896, p. 1. “Once all five balloons were ready for takeoff Contact: Two Centuries of Mystery 13. Lake County Examiner (Lakeview), (with our fingers on the verge of frost bite),” (Prometheus Books, March 1998), with December 3, 1896, p. 2. they write, “we struck the 15-minute flares and Professor George S. Howard, former Chair of released them into the sky in increments of 14. “You may not believe this. An ex- the Psychology Department at Notre Dame Portlander writers about the airship...” Portland fifteen seconds,” filming the UFOs as they University, Notre Dame, Indiana. Evening Telegram, December 2, 1896, p. 3. floated away. Using several thousand rare press Media coverage was extensive. A lot of 15. Nevada State Journal (Reno), reports, and conventional theories of social December 5, 1896, p. 3. it featured Paul Hurley, a pilot, and his family, psychology, they examine the context and who appeared on several news broadcasts 16. Carson City, Morning Appeal, meaning of UFO sighting waves, including the November 24, 1896, p. 3. describing the strange lights they saw in the sky. US airship wave of 1896-97; sightings of 17. See for example, “Air Ship Visits (For some reason, reporters find pilots’ UFO Thomas Edison’s imaginary “giant light bulb” Ellensburg,” Ellensburg Dawn, May 1, 1897, p. sightings especially believable.) Rudy and in the later 1800s; Canada’s ghost balloons of 2; “Airship Excitement Abated,” Chehalis Russo repeated the performance four more time, 1896; the New Zealand zeppelin scare of 1909; gaining media coverage for each. Conspiracy the New England airship hoax of 1909-10; the Nugget, May 14, 1897, p. 4. Web sites and radio shows covered the 18. “Saw an airship in broad daylight...” British UFO panic of 1912-13; phantom Spokesman-Review (Spokane), May 7, 1897, p. sightings, but “the icing on the cake came when German air raids and spy missions over Canada, 1. the popular History Channel show UFO Hunters Upstate New York, Delaware, New Jersey, New 19. “A Washington Airship,” Ellensburg featured the Morristown UFO one week,” the Hampshire and South Africa during World War duo recall. “Bill Birnes, the lead investigator of I; Sweden’s ghost rocket wave of 1946; and the Localizer, May 15, 1897, p. 2. the show and the publisher of UFO Magazine, 20. “State News,” Chelan Leader, May emergence of flying saucers since 1947. The 14, 1897, p. 1. declared definitively that the Morristown UFO book also examines pre-Roswell crashed UFOs 21. “Spokane saw the Airship,” Walla could not have been flares or Chinese lanterns.” involving aliens and includes over 200 case Walla Union, April 17, 1897, p. 4. This was the pair’s main quarry, to summaries of alleged contacts with ETs. expose the foolishness of UFO “investigators.” A detailed discussion of the Oregon 22. “Saw an Air Ship. Peculiar Aerial They write: “Are UFO investigators simply airship sightings does not appear in the book Visitor Seen in Spokane Last Night...” charlatans looking to make a quick buck off Spokesman-Review, April 16, 1897, p. 6. (although some reports do). Bartholomew has 23. Buckhout, R. (1974). “Eyewitness human gullibility? ... If a respected UFO written these reports into this modest article for Testimony,” Scientific American 231:23-31. investigator can be easily manipulated and dead the Oregon Skeptics to make them aware of this wrong on one UFO case, is it possible he’s fascinating, all but forgotten chapter in Pacific wrong on most (or all)\of them? Do the Northwestern history, and let them know of the networks buy into this nonsense, or are they in publication of his book. it for the ratings?” The ‘X’ Zone Radio Show REFERENCES www.xzoneradiotv.com