There are, of course, thousands of incidents I could have chosen for these holiday ideas, but I’ve tried to pick events which are not state specific and span across much of, if not all of, the United States. Some of these proposed holidays are serious, some are not, any of them would be great!
8. June 24, 1947 – Flying Saucer Day
In celebration of Kenneth Arnold’s report of seeing 9 strange flying objects, erroneously reported as “saucers” near Mount Rainer in Washington state and sparking a massive flap of UFO sightings.
7. July 8, 1947 – UFO day
Although the Roswell incident may have occurred on June 14, 1947, on this day in July The Roswell Daily Record reported that the RAAF had captured a “Flying Saucer”. Added to the sighting by Kenneth Arnold earlier in June of 1947 this has become a defining moment in UFOlore.
6. October 20, 1967 - Bigfoot Day
It was sometime in the afternoon on this day when Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin shot the most famous and controversial footage of a large unknown crypid. The footage to this day stirs debate about the existence of a large, as of yet, undiscovered upright-walking primate. Although reports of “Bigfoot” type creatures go back centuries this was an earth-shaking moment in cryptozoological research.
5. March 31, 1848 – Splitfoot Day
Although there are many and varying accounts of what actually happened with the spirit “rappings” that took place in the home of the Fox sisters, it cannot be denied that their story influenced the wave of spiritualism which had been growing in the United States. The spirit “Mr. Splitfoot” (the Devil) was allegedly the creator of the sounds the girls heard, and although in later years the girls admitted to some hoaxing, there can be no doubt that they left a firm impression on Americans’ social awareness of a psychical world.
4. October 5, 1967 – Cattle Day
On this day the Associated Press ran a story about the cattle mutilations happening in and around Colorado. Although strange happenings have been reported for decades, this story sparked the nation’s collective imagination and so began the wave of cattle/livestock mutilations that are reported to continue to this day. Everything from UFO’s and secret government projects to simple animal attacks have been proposed as explanations. Many people even believe it to be one of the strangest phenomena to continually occur in the United States. Plus we should honor all those poor cows.
3. September 19–20, 1961 – Abductee Day
The reported contact and or abduction of people by so-called extraterrestrials has been reported for decades, but on the night of September 19, 1967 the experiences of Betty & Barney Hill awoke the nation’s interest in the abduction phenomena. Though the events of that night remain controversial and are ascribed by many as being due to lack of sleep, stress, and false memories ‘recovered’ under hypnosis, the influence of the Hills on our nation’s psyche remains to this day.
2. July 1856 – Mad Scientist Month
Although the world has experienced thousands of “Mad Scientists” over the centuries, none have influenced the paranormal community as much as Nikola Tesla. To this day Tesla is associated with everything from Death Rays to The 1908 Tunguska event in Russia, conspiracy theorists associate his work with the H.A.A.R.P. program as well as free energy theories, and some even believe that Mr. Tesla was not from Earth!
1. September 22, 1692 – Remembrance Day
Although the dates of those murdered during the Witch Trials are many, it was on September 22 that the so-called “8 firebrands of Hell” were hanged for allegedly practicing witchcraft. Unarguably, this is one of the most outrageous events in American history, when the lives of innocents where carelessly lost due to the ineptitude and close-mindedness of people in power. The day, like many unfortunate others, is a remembrance of what can happen when religious fervor overtakes rational thinking.
John Keel is regarded by many as a pioneer in the field of Fortean studies. He popularized, and indeed may have created, the terms “Men In Black” and “Ultraterrestrials” but Keel is most well-known as the main researcher and investigator of the Mothman experiences. He wrote a number of books including The Mothman Prophecies, Disneyland of the Gods, Our Haunted Planet and Jadoo. He challenged the commonly held belief that flying Saucers, cryptozoology and hauntings were unique and separate experiences. In an interview Keel stated that,”The objects and apparitions do not necessarily originate on another planet and may not even exist as permanent constructions of matter. It is more likely that we see what we want to see and interpret such visions according to our contemporary beliefs.”
On August 23rd, 1974 John Lennon was relaxing on the balcony of his apartment in New York city when he witnessed, and later described, a “Flying Saucer” hovering near his building, not a helicopter, and not a balloon.
