On the night of June 6, 1884, John W. Ellis, three of his herdsmen and a number of cowboys were engaged in a roundup about 35 miles northwest of Dundy County, Nebraska when they were startled by a loud noise over their heads. They looked up in time to see a blazing object hurtling toward the Earth and watched it disappear behind a bank. Alf Williamson, one of the herdsmen, was treated for burns after he tried to approach the craft, which had gouged the dirt as it had ground itself to a stop.

Three years later, The Nebraska State Journal reported what the rancher and his team had found.

One piece that looked like the blade of a propeller screw, of a metal of an appearance like brass, about 16 inches wide, three inches thick and three-and-a-half feet long, was picked up by a spade. It would not weigh more than five pounds, but appeared as strong and compact as any known metal. A fragment of a wheel with a milled rim, apparently having had a diameter of seven or eight feet, was also picked up. It seemed to be of the same material and had the same remarkable lightness.

Dundy County residents refused to talk about the UFO crash back then and even now. Whatever evidence was left of the crash has mysteriously vanished. The only evidence available are the newspaper clippings that document this occurrence. These publications started a worldwide fascination with UFOs.

This fascination has seen its highs and lows over the past two centuries. I grew up hearing about the Roswell Incident, watching scores of Sci-Fi movies as well as reading popular novels by the likes of Robert Heinlein. Thanks to the Internet, the UFO fascination has risen to an unprecedented height. We’re almost three months into the year, and I’ve read about two dozen news articles about sightings that have occurred all over the world. How long this pique will last is anyone’s guess, but it has produced some fantastic stories and captivating video, real or not.