In this era of advanced recording technology, videos of distant aerial light formations are as common as rain. Most recent 'UFO sightings' seem pretty normal, or even groan-worthy in their obvious artificiality. A spider on a camera lens, a piece of metallic debris tossed about during a tornado, a shooting star - come on, nightly newscasters, give us something good!

Half a century ago, the stories were better, weirder, and more convincing. Maybe this was due to witnesses' minds playing paint-by-number with the facts in the time afterward, but in the absence of recording devices, UFOs seemed altogether more bizarre, more likely, and just plain cooler.

In the summer of 1955, an Ohio man was startled while checking his mailbox. W. M. Sheneman saw what looked like a plane in the sky, indicated by a giant red light. Judging by the speed at which it was moving toward the ground, Sheneman assumed it was going to crash; and as the light moved closer, a vertical beam was sent toward the ground, illuminating a huge pattern in the yard. He ran to the house, hoping to calm his crying children and frightened wife.

The "thing" came to hover over the garage, its red light alternating with a green one. According to Sheneman, it was only about 75 feet above the ground, silent but for a sound like a fan running. Suddenly the lights turned off and, still visible, the UFO zoomed with incredible speed to stop over some nearby woods. Then, it disappeared completely.

Scarier and more bizarre stories accompany sightings: these are close encounters of the second kind, in which a UFO leaves behind some form of physical effect, usually damage. The stories are rare but remarkable.

In Venezuela in 1886, a family of nine slept soundly in their hut, near Maracaibo. They were all startled awake by a loud humming sound and a bright white light, which illuminated the whole interior of their home.

In an attempt to save themselves during the perceived end of the world, the people fell to their knees and prayed, but it did them no good: their faces and lips swelled, and soon they were vomiting. The experience ended abruptly, and by morning, painless black blotches appeared where the facial swelling had been.

After nine days, their skin was peeling, and the blotches turned into painful sores. The family began to lose their hair. Their home suffered no damage at all, although a few trees directly outside withered on the ninth day, just as the family's injuries became serious.

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