• 1870-1959

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    • The Best UFO Pictures Ever Taken, Page 1

    Years 1870-1959

    This section of our website contains many of the best UFO photographs ever taken. The list is by no means complete. We do not assert that all of the images on these pages represent extraterrestrial controlled spacecraft. New pictures are added as they are found and verified, so please come back to see updates.

    Note: Please do NOT link directly to our images. Download the images to your own server first, and then link from there. Thanks, B J

    (Click on thumbnail image to see larger picture)

    1870-Mt. Washington, New Hampshire. This photo is dubbed, "the oldest UFO photograph ever taken." This item was the subject of bidding at Ebay in 2002, when finally the photo was purchased for $385.00 by Samuel M. Sherman, who was the president of Independent-International Pictures Corp. This was originally a "stereo" photograph. Certainly it was difficult to manipulate photos at that time, and remember, there were no flying objects then; at least, not from this world.
    1927-Oregon. Taken in Cave Junction, Oregon. There is some question as to whether the photo was taken in '26 or '27, but nonetheless, if this is an authentic photograph it is incredible. Reportedly snapped by a volunteer fireman. Be sure to click to see full size image to really appreciate the picture.
    1929-SlideWard-Colorado Ward Sawmill, April-This incident is retold by the photographers daughter: "This photo was taken by my father Edward Pline at the sawmill in Ward where we lived at the time. I think it was 1929. I was about six years old then. My father was there to photograph the sawmill for some reason or another, and as he was taking the photo, he described a 'terrible thunderous bellow,' and a large round thing as big as a very large boulder that moved through the air above them. You can see it in the picture. None of the sawmill workers saw the thing in the photo, but they all heard the sound and felt the ground shudder. Later in my life I tried researching the incident at the County Historical Society, but I did not find any references to it. My father passed on a few years after the incident, and I have not found any surviving sawmill workers from that time." Hetty Pline
    1932-St. Paris, Ohio. This picture was taken of a man named George Sutton near midday May 1932. We can see that it was in 1932 from the license plate on the automobile in the photo that accompanied this shot. The unidentified flying object in the picture could not have been a street lamp, simply because there were no street lamps at the time. There are no power poles or power lines visible anywhere in this picture. This picture shows a vintage automobile. The owner of the photo album says there were no electric street lights along this road in those days. Nobody has been able to account for the dark object seen over Sutton's left shoulder in this photograph.
    Los Angeles, February 25, 1942: 02:25 AM: Alarm sirens installed in the event of a Japanese air raid are started, as flying objects are seen and announced in the sky off the city. A blackout is declared and the anxious and even terrified inhabitants follow the instructions by turning all the lights off. 03:16 AM: Anti-aircraft guns open fire on the unidentified flying objects coming from the ocean, and projector beams are searching the sky. Witnesses observe small objects flying at high altitude, of red or silver-plated color, moving in formation at high speed, and untouched by the AAA salvos. This large object had been hitby many AAA projectiles, according to the reports. The anti-aircraft defence continued to shoot at UFOs without results.
    Washington D. C. October 29, 1942. This was taken above Washington, D.C. on October 29 1942. An object at the very right of the frame was initially thought to represent a high-wing monoplane flying down and right from the upper left-hand corner. Unusually it appears too fast for the shutter, its configuration is more disk-like and it is followed by an exceptionally long dark streak (this extends back and upwards to the top of the frame) that is normally associated with jet aircraft.
    1944-England-This UFO was photographed over England in 1944. Source: "The X Factor" magazine issue 53 (Marshall Cavendish publications).
    Morristown, New Jersey, 1947. On the morning of July 10, 1947, John H. Janssen, editor of the Daily Record (an American aviation journal) was flying his own plane from Morristown Airport in New Jersey. He spotted six, luminous spherical craft with hazy rings around them flying in a trail high in the sky above him. He grabbed his camera and shot a picture. He was only able to get four of the six objects in the image frame. Two weeks later, on July 23rd, he had another encounter of what looked to him like the same or very similar aircraft. He was again flying his airplane out of Morristown, and was at 6,000 ft.
    1947-July 7-William Rhodes of Phoenix, Arizona allegedly saw a disk circling his locality during sunset and took two photographs. The resulting pictures show a disk-like object with a round front and a square tail in plane form. These photographs have been examined by experts who state they are true photographic images and do not appear to be imperfection in the emulsion or imperfections in the lens. Often called the "Roswell UFO." Some info taken from: www.nicap.org
    1947-July 4-U.S. Coast Guardsman, Frank Ryman, of Seattle, Washington, photo of a flying disc taken on July 4, 1947, three days before the infamous Rhodes photographs. The Rhodes’ photos were actually printed in the local paper upside down! Allegedly, one of, if not the first, photograph of a "flying disc." source of info: http://destinationspace.net/ufo/connors/flyingdiscs.asp
    Scotland, 1947. An alleged UFO picture taken in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 1947. It is important to see the original picture on this one to get the full effect. This, to me, is a very good picture of an object that is not identifiable by comparision to any known aircraft today. It is obviously a metallic, two layered object which has never been explained away. A true UFO!
    Czaplinek, Poland 1947. This alleged UFO picture has seemingly been shot at Czaplinek in 1947. The picture was taken at an angle looking up over a mountain, and the larger picture makes a much more believable image, giving the object dimension, and scale. Early photographs like this are very important, coming at a time when photo manipulation was very difficult compared to present time.
    Cincinnati, Ohio, 1949. During the Jitney Carnival at the St. Peter and Paul Church in Norwood, Cincinnati, Ohio, Reverend Gregory Miller, purchased from army surplus, an 8 million candle power searchlight. Sergeant Donald R. Berger of ROTC of the University of Cincinnati would operate it. During the height of the festivities, at 08:15 pm, Sgt. Berger's sweeping searchlight suddenly flashed across a stationary, circular object in the sky. Reverend Miller and later others joined in and observed. This was only the beginning. Davidson took ten "still" photographs of the large disc-shaped object that flew in and out of the searchlight beam.
    1950-Redbud, Illinois. April 23. No other details available at this time.
    Oregon
    May 8, 1950 This is one of the most famous UFO pictures ever taken. Photographed by Paul Trent, and first witnessed by his wife. They were published in a local newspaper in McMinnville, Oregon shortly thereafter. Soon, the Trent photos were published in Life magazine edition of June 26, 1950. The rest is history. These photos have been deemed authentic for over 50 years.
    1951-California-Guy B. Marquand, Jr. took this picture on a mountain road near Riverside, California, on November 23, 1951. He said the object above the skyline was a "flying saucer."
    1951-Lubbock, Texas-The famous photographs from the "Lubbock lights" in Texas, 31 August 1951. Years later, ignoring all testimonies and evidences, skeptics stated that these objects were... birds. This most ridiculous explanation was typical of how early UFO photos were often explained away. Carl Hart Jr. an 18 year old student took this famous picture with his Kodak camera. There were at least 100 witnesses who saw the objects. This is one of the classics of Ufology.
    1952-Barra da Tijuca, Brazil, May 7-While covering a news event for O'Cruzeiro Magazine, reporters Ed Kessel and Joao Martins saw an unusual flying object approaching their location. Kessel snapped five black and white pictures of the object as it came right over them. The Brazilian Air Force would later find as many as 40 witnesses who saw the object.
    Washington D. C. 1952. During the dawn of Ufology in the United States, unidentified flying objects made themselves known to the leaders of the free world in 1952, buzzing over the White House, the Capitol building, and the Pentagon. Seemingly the unknown objects were defying the very governmental agencies sworn to protect the United States from foreign powers. Washington National Airport and Andrews Air Force Base picked up a number of UFOs on their radar screens on July 19, 1952, beginning a wave of sightings still unexplained to this day.
    lac Chauvet, France, July 18, 1952. A collection of pictures that have been filed and studied by the French GEPAN then SEPRA state financed investigation committee, and considered genuine. The photograph was taken by André Fregnale. The image underwent an investigation by Claude Poher, director of the GEPAN, and he deemed that the photograph was not a fraud, but a genuine UFO. A very good picture.
    1952-Salem, Massachusetts. July 16, 1952 During the peak of the 1952 UFO Flap, Shel Alpert, a USCG seaman on duty in the Coast Guard Weather Office at the Salem Coast Guard Station, saw four brilliant lights in the sky. He called another Guardsman to see the lights, but in those few seconds the lights had become more dim. When they brightened again, he quickly took a single photograph through the window of the office. This photo has been published in many books, newspapers and magazines.
    1952-Passaic, New Jersey. George Stock was working in his yard on July 28, 1952 when this dome-shaped saucer appeared. Because it hovered over transmission lines before heading for him, he was able to get five photos. Only one is included here, but all are similar. A great early photo!
    1953-Moumra, Italy. I have almost no info on this photograph. Reportedly taken in Moumra, Italy on December 1, 1953, the picture is barely usable. I enhanced it to get some of the graininess removed. A group of people seem to be fixed on the odd formation of unknown objects. See full size for greater effect.
    Paris, France, Eiffel Tower, 1953. Double discs are seen passing over Eiffel Tower at 3:45 a.m. in 1953 as M. Paulin took this picture. The photograph is from the Michael Mann collection and was published in TRUE Magazine at the time. A very interesting photograph, and not a bad one considering the time period, and the distance from camera to object. Look at the original image to see the two objects over the Tower.
    Australia, 1954. This very compelling photograph of a clearly defined round UFO with top and antenna was taken by sheep farmer W. C. Hall in 1954. If you look real closely, you might see another unknown object in the distance just above a mountain. An excellent photo, and for a newspaper clipping, it is in excellent condition.
    1954-Sicily, Italy, December 10. Four men are staring upward at two very odd shapes in the sky. The photographer was questioned about his pic, and he claimed that the objects were actually in the sky, as opposed to a film or camera anomaly, and that the objects simply stood still for several minutes.
    Namur, Belgium, 1955 (1) Three photographs were taken on June 5, 1955 at about 07:30 P.M. near Namur. The witness indicated that he has visually seen a sharp gleam moving high in the sky without any noise and at high speed. He indicated that the gleam accompanied an object of discoidal shape leaving a white trail behind it.
    Namur, Belgium, 1955 (2) The second photograph taken on June 5, 1955 in Namur. The witness continued by indicating that the object lost altitude, made a turn, and then went upwards to reach its own trail. See larger image to see dimension of the clouds, and get perspective of the object's size. An excellent photo.
    Namur, Belgium, 1955 (3) The third photograph taken on June 5, 1955 in Namur. The witness continues by explaining that when the object joined its trail, the trail was disspating, the UFO then accelerated and left, while luminous particles were ejected behind it. Be sure to see the full-size image to appreciate the long trail behind the object, and dimension of the photo itself.
    1956-Rosetta/Natal, South Africa. July 17. These two photographs from South Africa were taken by alleged contactee Elizabeth Klarer. She claimed that she was impregnated by a tall, white-haired alien who piloted a UFO in one of her many contacts. Almost unbelievably, MUFON representative Cynthia Hind who was Africa's most respected Ufologist, found several eye witnesses to her contact cases. Klarer was also... see file below.
    1956-Rosetta/Natal, South Africa. July 17... a well respected member of South African society. Her husband was a major in the South African Air Force, and Elizabeth worked for Air Force Intelligence. Seven photographs were taken in all, two included here. There were also two witnesses to the taking of the photos. Taken in the foothills of the Drakensburg Mountains, and so-dubbed the Drakensberg photos. If these are real, they are extremely impressive. She never changed her story. She died in 1994, at the age of 83.
    1956-Canada-A Royal Canadian Air Force pilot while flying at an altitude of about 11 km saw and photographed a very bright, disc-like object that was remaining stationary near a thunderhead. An analysis of the photograph suggests that it would have been radiating in excess of a gigawatt of power within the spectral range of the film.

    At about 7:20 PM, MDT (about 20 minutes before sunset), on Aug. 27, 1956 a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot was flying nearly due west over the Canadian Rockies near Ft. MacCleod, Alberta (49.5 degrees latitude, 113.5 degree longitude).

    He was flying at 36,000 ft (about 11 m) in the second position (far left side) of a formation of four F-86 Sabre jet aircraft.

    While approaching a large thunderhead (cumulonimbus) at a ground speed of about 400 kts (740 km/hr) he saw, at a much lower altitude, a "bright light which was sharply defined and disc-shaped" or "like a shiny silver dollar sitting horizontal"-photograph © Childerhose-source-excerpted from article by Dr. Bruce Maccabee-http://brumac.8k.com/RJC/RJC.html

    Brazil
    Summer 1956, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil This clearly defined round disc was photographed by one A. Stizak. The photo was taken on a clear day. If you look closely, you can see three white dots underneath. Its authenticity was confirmed by ICUFON director Colonel Colman VonKeviczky.
    1956-The UFO in the photo was seized by the U. S. government in the Boumount Ridge section of Jasper, Colorado, in the summer of 1956. The government moved the flying saucer to a remote area called Wild Fork, where they ran tests on it, eventually figuring out how to fly this spaceship. The above photo was taken by a government official during one of the many test flights. A great photo for its time. source: http://www.booksandsuchmart.com/
    1957-All I have in my notes is that the photo was taken in December 1957, by the radio officer aboard the naval ship S. S. Ramsey. It was seen on deck, hovering in the sky. The radio officer grabbed his camera and took this picture before the object disappeared. I think the picture was first published in Flying Saucer Review. I wrote to them twice in 1996, but never got a reply. photo © Life Magazine.

    New Information Received in April, 2008:

    I received the following information from Woods M.

    "Here is the data inscribed on the back of the photo after he (Paul Cerny) gave it to me: 'Picture taken by a Naval Officer aboard a US. Navy ship-S. S. Ramsey-off Southern California in 1957.' (My copy of this photo is an 8" by 10" glossy enlargement.) 'The device at the base of the UFO (landing gear?)as shown in several other photos (that Paul had, and which I saw at KGO)-had rotated around the craft.'

    'Paul gave no other explanation to me about the craft, but I am certain he had the sighting and the photos under investigation.'

    'Although the photo I have is a reprint and an enlargement of the original, I doubt it was ever subjected to computer analysis, because the photo was taken during the 1950's about 45 years ago (in 2002). I also strongly doubt that the photo was computer generated, since that technology, as far as I know, did not exist then.'

    1957-Deemed authentic by Kodak labs. This photograph was taken by one B.C. B.C. and his fiancee were riding their Harley Davidson through the southern Sierra Nevada's, in what is now Lake Isabella, California. They found an old dirt road that led down to the dry lake bed and they pulled off the main highway to take some random scenic shots. Neither of them saw anything out of the ordinary at the time.
    1957-Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. Taken on October 16. This photo was taken by Ella Louise Fortune, a nurse at the Mescalero Indian Reservation near Three Rivers, N. M. She took the pic while driving Highway 54 about 1:30 PM. She stated that the UFO was motionless over Holloman AFB.
    1957-August, 20. Fujisawa City, Japan. Taken by Shinichi Takeda near Enoshima Miami Beach at 11:28 a.m. Object reportedly also seen by his sister, who called his attention to it. UFO silvery in color, giving off brilliant glow at est. altitude of 3000-4000 feet, traveling N to S. When overhead, object made 90 degree left turn, sped up, and disappeared in clouds. A few minutes later 15 people on the beach reported a similar object which passed over at high speed. No camera data available. Picture shows capsule-shaped image near bank of cumulus clouds.
    1957-Edwards Air Force Base, CA. Taken by a test pilot in September of '57. The UFO is following a B-57 twin jet. The UFO was not discovered until the photograph was developed. An excellent photo for that time period.
    1957-Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Taken in September. This photo was investigated by the Condon Report. A private was called from his barracks by his friends to see the unusual object. He grabbed his camera and took six pictures of the strange ring shaped object. Soon, the object was engulfed in white smoke.
    1957-Norway-Taken in July of 1957, this photo was sent to Project Blue Book for analysis. Wright Patterson determined that what we are seeing is a reflection of light on the camera lens. That is easy enough to say, I suppose, but I am not sure that is the case here. Be sure to see full size image. Credit "UFOs at Close Sight."
    Rouen, France, 1957. Flying to intercept a mysterious radar reflection, an unknown French Air Force pilot photographed this craft in March 1957 over Rouen with his gun-sight camera. The UFO paced the plane for several minutes before speeding off past the maximum velocity of the French airplane. This UFO appears to be of the same type that appeared in McMinnville, Oregon, over the farm of Mr. Paul Trent. It was first published in the Royal Air Force Flying Review in July, 1957, and also in Flying Saucer Review in July, 1957.
    1957-1958-Edwards AFB. This photo is said to come from an "instructive-film" of a UFO landing at Edwards AFB. The film is said to have "leaked." This film has been referred to by more than one person, including the late astronaut Gordon Cooper, who claims to have seen the entire event. He says that the film did exist, but we cannot be certain that this is from that film.
    Trinidade Island
    January 16, 1958, The Trinidade Island Photographs. Trindade is a small rocky island in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean 600 miles off the coast of Bahia, Brazil. Professional photographer Almiro Barauna would take a sequence of pictures of this UFO off of a Naval vessel. More than 50 witnesses saw the UFO, including the ship's Captain.
    1958-Japan-One of the many UFO photographs taken in Japan. This one shows an object over Kaizuka in 1958.
    1959-Waikiki, Hawaii, June 18. This photograph was one studied by Project Blue Book. Photo taken by Joseph Sigel of Bellevue, Washington. Blue Book stupidly identified it as a sun glare on lens. The photo was studied at the UFO symposium for the Congressiona Hearings of 1968 by Dr. Robert N. Sheppard.

    BEST UFO PICTURES, PAGE 2

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