“Two civilians were driving around near Lock Raven Dam on the evening of 26 October 1958.  When they rounded a curve about 200 to 300 yards from a bridge they saw what appeared to be a large, flat, egg shaped object hovering about 100 to 150 feet above the bridge superstructure.  They slowed their car and when they got to within 75 or 80 feet of the bridge their engine quit and their lights went out.  The driver immediately stepped on the brakes and stopped the car.  Attempts were made to start the car and when this was unsuccessful they became frightened and got out of the car.  They put the car between them and the object and watched for approximately 30 to 45 seconds.  The object then seemed to flash a brilliant white light and both men felt heat on their faces.  Then there was heard a loud noise and the object began rising vertically.  The object became very bright while rising and its shape could not be seen as it rose.  It disappeared in five to ten seconds.

“After the object disappeared, the car was started and they turned it around and drove to where a phone was located and contacted the Towson Police Department.  Two patrolmen were sent to meet them.  The two men told the patrolmen of their experience.  The witnesses then noticed a burning sensation on their faces and became concerned about possible radiation burns.  They went to a Baltimore Hospital for an examination.  Both witnesses were advised by the doctor that they had no reason for concern.

“An extensive investigation was made concerning this incident.  However, no valid conclusion could be made as to the possible nature of the sighting and it remains unidentified.”

So ended 1958 and in its final tally of sightings for the year Project Blue Book added a new space age touch—­earth satellites had accounted for eleven UFO reports.

Nineteen hundred fifty-nine came in with a good one.  We used to call these reports “Ground-air-visual-radar” sightings and they make interesting reading.

At Duluth, Minnesota, in March, it’s dark by five o’clock in the evening.  It’s cold.  The temperature hovers around zero and it’s so clear you have a feeling you can almost reach up and touch the stars.

It was this kind of a night on March 13, 1959, and as the officers and men of the Air Defense Command fighter squadron at the Duluth Municipal Airport moved, they shuffled along slowly because the heavy parkas and arctic clothing they wore were heavy.

Then came the UFO report and things speeded up.

At 5:20P.M., exactly, the operations officer noted the time, word came in over the comm line that someone had sighted an unidentified flying object off to the north.  Word flashed around the squadron and as people rushed out of buildings to look they were joined by those already outside.

And there it was:  big, round and bright, and it was moving at high speed.  Some observers thought it was “greenish,” others “reddish,” but it was something and it was there.