Little research, or even cultural impact, followed this event. However, I’d like everyone to know that on February 11, 1958, the population of Huntsville freaked out about a possible UFO. Thousands of people then called the Huntsville Times to see if they’d set up an interview with the otherworldly visitors.

TRANSCRIPT FOR THE WEAK OF EYE:

“The “moons,” flying saucers and spaceships that amazed early-morning risers in this section of Alabama, and set off a number of inquiries to The Times, weren’t moon or saucers at all. It was an old friend, the Aurora Borealis – more familiarly known as the Northern Lights.

In this area the phenomenon lasted approximately from 5 to 6:45 am. The predominant hues here were reds.

The Associated Press reported that the display was brilliant in many parts of the nation. Skies glowed with bright red and pink hues, and in a few regions, with green and yellow colors.

Radio and TV transmissions and news Teletype wires were affected in the United States and Canada.

Observes in northwestern California saw bright red lights streaming over the top of a low cloud bank. The lights were reported later turned to white.*

The Northern Lights are caused by streams of particles shot out from the sun. Striking the earth’s high atmosphere, they excite atoms of air and cause them to glow.”

*arguably one of the worst sentences ever written.