ᴛʜᴇ 𝟷𝟿𝟽𝟹 ʜᴜᴍᴀɴᴏɪᴅ ᴜғᴏ ᴡᴀᴠᴇ

Beginning in August 1973 and lasting until late-December, the entire planet, but in particular, the United States experienced a wave of very specific sightings. What followed would be reported after report of “humanoid occupants” inside or emerging from U̳F̳O̳s, or humanoid creatures approaching, and on occasion, even giving chase to witnesses.

Several cases of a̳l̳i̳e̳n̳ abduction would also occur during the same period. While 1973 was a year with a much higher than normal amount of U̳F̳O̳ sightings, the last third would prove to be even more active. The Center For U̳F̳O̳ Studies (CU̳F̳O̳S) would discreetly study the wave. While they would, for the most part, withhold the witnesses’ identities, the accounts make for a detailed and fascinating read. Furthermore, upon studying these figures, they would reflect very interestingly with a similar wave of sightings over France and other areas of Europe in 1954.

Although the wave of U̳F̳O̳ humanoid sightings would last almost five months, the bulk of the activity was in the month of October. Of the fifty-five such sightings in the United States during the August-to-December period, for example, thirty-six occurred in October. Even stranger, seven of these sightings took place on the same day (17th October), with two more having taken place the previous evening, and three more on the evening before that.

These sightings themselves were broken down into two distinct categories. First, there were the humanoid sightings. These were, as the name suggests, similar to humans, and would often feature communication with the witness. Secondly, there were the “anthropoid” sightings, which were often B̳i̳g̳f̳o̳o̳t̳-like creatures, often described as “monsters” by the witness. And there were more those than even more U̳F̳O̳ researchers are comfortable with. As always, many of the following accounts come from the translations of researcher, Albert Rosales.

The Quiet Before The Storm!

While we will concentrate on the latter half of 1973 here for obvious reasons, there was still some extremely intriguing activity that took place in the first six months of the year.

Perhaps the most famous encounter during the 1973 wave was the Pascagoula Abductions, still regarded as one of the most intriguing and credible of UFO accounts on record. It might also prove to be that the incident was just one out of many dozens of encounters around the United States during that time. Indeed, how many more went unreported we can only guess at.

Another incident we have examined previously is the rather bizarre “Bean Pot” UFO incident, which incidentally or not, took place during the least significant UFO wave in 1967. However, in April 1973, the main witness, Reed Thompson would experience an even more bizarre, and unnerving incident.

Although activity increased as the year went on, UFOs were reported right the way through 1973

On that particularly warm day, while Reed was at work at his auto repair store, two extremely strange men arrived. Each was a very disturbing appearance, each with the long hair and each wearing “tan jumpsuits and very heavy gloves”. Furthermore, when they spoke, they would speak in a “mechanical monotone voice”.

Even more concerning to Thompson was the fact that these two strangers knew all the details of the UFO he had witnessed, right down to the date and the fact that he had captured a photograph of the scene. It was that the strange figure issued the demand for the photograph and the negative.

Meanwhile, as this was happening, another employee, Craft, of the auto repair shop had ventured outside to see if any other strangers were there. What he witnessed was perhaps even more bizarre than the events unfolding inside the shop.

A Car Without Steering Wheel Or Seats

Outside was a “1969 bright yellow Buick LeSabre” with dark glass. When he looked inside, though, the situation would take an even stranger turn. Inside the strange vehicle was almost completely empty with “no steering wheel or seats”. Before he could take in any more detail, however, the two strange men came outside.

Craft backed away from the car, and as he did so, his elbow touched one of theirs. As it did so, a strange feeling seemed to enter his body. Rather ominously, Craft would pass away suddenly two years after the strange incident. According to the reports, two autopsies were performed in an attempt to establish the cause of death. Each was inconclusive.

Reed would have several other encounters, both with the apparent Men In Black and with extraterrestrial entities. One particular time while driving to work the strange car appeared seemingly out of nowhere “only inches from his bumper”. The mysterious car continued to follow until he arrived at the auto repair shop. As he got out of the vehicle, however, a “blue arc-welding flash” temporarily blinded him for a moment. When he refocused his vision, the ominous vehicles had completely vanished.

He would report to UFO researcher, James Todd, that “big black Cadillacs or Lincolns” would regularly follow him over the subsequent years. He still, though, at least according to Todd’s examination of the case in his book The Secrets of the Men In Black, still has the photograph and negative in his possession.

Many Significant And Well-Known Encounters!

We have also examined several other better-known incidents in 1973 in-depth previously, which is perhaps an indication of how active that particular calendar year actually was.

Another significant encounter from early in 1973 would occur in Piedmont, Missouri, when several members of a high school basketball team, as well as their coaches, would witness a bizarre craft land in a field as they made their way home from a playoff game against another high school team.

In the summer of 1973, on the 7^th July, in Odessa, Texas, multiple witnesses would report a disc-shaped object hovering over a radio tower. The incident, at least according to the claims of the initial investigation, was subject to government attempts to suppress media reports of it.

As October unfolded, as we will see later, incidents seemingly went into overdrive. We have looked at the Coyne Helicopter Incident previously, for example, which had four experienced military pilots as witnesses to a UFO which came into close proximity of their aircraft while they were in the air. What’s more, multiple other witnesses would see events take place from below.

There was a lot of media attention on many of the sightings during 1973

Also in October, across the Atlantic in the United Kingdom, was the case of Gabriella Versacci, who would claim to have been abducted by extraterrestrial as she drove toward the town of Langford Budville.

Perhaps one of the later incidents of the 1973 wave occurred in Vilvoorde in Belgium in December 1973. On that occasion, the witness would see a strange humanoid seemingly collecting samples of the surrounding vegetation.

As we will see, these are but a sample – and a tiny one at that – of the incidents that would take place.

A Year Full Of Discreet “Random” Encounters

There were of course sightings all over the planet during 1973. For example, in April 1973, over a primary school in Ipoh Perak in Malaysia, a “flying saucer” would land in the middle of the playground, at least according to an account in the Encyclopedia of Alien Encounter: A Summary of UFO and Related Events in Malaysia by Ahmad Jamaluddin.

Even more bizarre, “several tiny humanoids in shiny white suits” would venture out of this strange and miniature craft. However, when one of the teachers approached, the small creatures ran back to the apparent spaceship which then took and off and vanished.

Further to that, a very similar incident had taken place in the rice fields of Rantau Panjang the previous year. On that occasion, while playing in the fields, a young girl would witness a “miniature man” who was walking through the field. He was dressed all in white and sported long, white hair. She would make attempts to “catch him”. However, he would disappear into a hole in the ground. Another local boy also reported “chasing” a very similar-looking small man around the same time.

Sightings and encounters happened all over the planet in 1973

While it is easy to dismiss such accounts as the fruitful and overactive minds of the young, every single one of us is familiar with folklore tales of “fairies”, “little people”, or all manner of other supernatural beings. Might these be based on encounters from antiquity with “miniature” extraterrestrials? Or might these tiny entities not be alien at all, but something different altogether, although certainly no less mind-blowing?

Although there is very little information on the actual sighting itself, an intriguing picture taken over Bali Island in Indonesia at around the same time as the above encounter is very much worth checking out, which you can do below.

Encounters South Of The American Border – The Mexican (UFO) Wave

Across the southern border in Mexico, UFO sightings were also on the increase. And what’s more, they were seemingly so from the beginning of the year.

Perhaps one of the first incidents of the 1973 UFO wave as far as Mexican authorities were concerned occurred in late March. According to a report in the El Siglo de Torreon newspaper, multiple people witnessed a “luminous object” in the skies over San Pedro. And what’s more, the object was moving at an “extraordinary rate of speed”.

When we examine the translation of the account by Scott Corrales, it notes how “regular commercial flights did not fly over this community”, meaning that a mistaken sighting of a terrestrial vehicle is unlikely, certainly at the speeds in the report. Furthermore, the witnesses were largely from farming communities with little interest or engagement in the “modern world”, meaning it is unlikely they would have the inclination or interest in manufacturing such an event for financial gain or notoriety.

Of course, the incident above is far from the only one to be on the Mexican UFO records throughout 1973. In fact, while the San Pedro incident was, by and large, the first widely reported sighting of 1973, there were several others in the country that occurred even earlier.

Persistent Sightings Of Glowing, Luminous Objects

A week or so before the account over San Pedro, an encounter featuring the occupants of a strange craft would surface. According to the El Mexicano newspaper, on the evening of 14^th March, brother Juan and Ruben Hernandez would witness a glowing, round object overhead as they worked at the La Prieta mine.

Furthermore, the glowing light would approach the two men causing them to flee the area and alert other employees, as well as their superiors. When they came to witness the bizarre events, each could see the strange object “hanging motionless” for several moments before finally rising into the air and disappearing out of their sight at such great speed that they would describe it as “incalculable”.

Perhaps even more intriguing, Ruben would state to the press that the mysterious object had vanished into the area known as the Zone of Silence, which has a long history of strange sightings and goings-on to its name.

Many of the 1973 reports shared many of the same details

Several weeks earlier in mid-February, another motorist on the Mexican highways experienced a similar luminous object. This time, a sales agent, Alfonso Pulido, would claim that a “ball of light” had overtaken his vehicle while he was traveling from Uruapan to Paracho.

He would recall how the object had at first appeared as “one of those stars that appear to move every so often”. However, it soon became increasingly bigger as it approached his vehicle with increasing speed. As it remained over the car, a blue light washed over the surrounding area seemingly from the craft’s underside, as well as causing interference with the car’s radio. It would stay overhead for several minutes before simply moving away and disappearing into the sky.

The Bizarre Encounter Of Alfonso Hernandez

Although it occurred several months later, well into the 1973 wave, another incident from Mexico, this time in Puebla in September, is very much worth including here. And what’s more, the apparent close encounter occurred in the same area where a mass UFO sighting took place in July.

On the morning of 23^rd September, two shepherds would hear “two loud detonations” before witnessing a bizarre, glowing craft crossing the sky and disappearing into a nearby gorge. Almost as soon as it disappeared, a “noise that made the Earth shake” rang out.

As the two shepherds went to investigate, a local man, Alfonso Hernandez, who would report details of the account to the newspaper, would follow them. When they entered the area, two “living beings…covered with fur similar to straw” appeared.

Many people had very close proximity encounters in 1973

It isn’t clear what happened after that, but Hernandez would lead members of the newspaper to the site the following day. Although the shepherds were no longer there to speak with, and there was no sign of the two strange entities, there was an apparent display of carnage in the shape of overturned and avalanched rocks, as well as uprooted trees. Hernandez would state the damage was not there the previous day and was, in his opinion, the result of the strange craft entering the area.

Did it crash? Or might it have activated some kind of technological device to open a portal and disappear, leaving behind the damage discovered by Hernandez shortly after?

The Bizarre Creature Under The Bridge On The Isle Of Wight

According to a report in the BUFORA Journal (Volume 6, number 5), an incident over the Isle of Wight would take place during the late afternoon of 15^th May. And what’s more, many of the details make for an almost carbon copy of multiple other sightings of 1973.

In the town of Sandown, 7-year-old Fay was playing on the golf links with a friend when a sudden “siren-like sound” rang out startling both of them. They looked around and tracked down where the noise was coming from. They would make their way to a hedge that they pushed their way through. As they did so, a “swampy meadow” awaited them. At the same time, the ear-piercing noise ceased.

They ventured into the swampy environment and as they made their way along a footbridge, a strange figure became visible underneath. The two children watched in shock as the strange creature, approximately 7-feet tall, moved with a “strange hopping motion, with knees raised high”. It would make its way to a “metallic hut with no windows”.

Once more, many of the sightings and encounters took place near water

The creature seemingly wore a strange hat as well as a tight-fitting tunic. Furthermore, its face – a strange, deathly white, had “triangular markings for eyes” as well as a “brown square” for a nose, and “motionless” lips.

After having entered the craft, the creature suddenly emerged again. In its three-fingered hand was a strange box “like a microphone”. He turned to the children, waved, and spoke into the box asking the children if they were still there.