Eyes upturned, three boaters watched the sky with growing concern. A glowing object darted back and forth. Was it a drone? A rocket? A jet?
Not possible. This happened nearly 300 years before the first successful airplane took flight.
John Winthrop wrote about the 1639 sighting. He was the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony at the time. Winthrop wrote that, while the men were rowing their boat through the Muddy River, they saw a lighted object. It would stand still and then shoot back and forth across the sky a distance of about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers). Then, the object changed shape. It turned into something that looked like a pig. The strange object remained visible for a few hours. Then, it mysteriously faded away. It was impossible to locate again…and impossible to forget.
Once their attention returned to their task, the men discovered that they had traveled a mile (1.6 kilometers) upstream. They didn't remember rowing against the current, Winthrop wrote. That part isn't entirely unexplainable, though, as their boat could have been carried by wind or the tides. Or the men may have just been too fascinated by the sight above to notice their movement.
The boaters weren't the only ones who saw the puzzling scene, according to Winthrop. Other people saw the same light afterward, in the same place.
Five years later, Winthrop recorded a report of another sighting. This time, the lights were "like the moon" rising from different places. Over and over, the lights joined and parted, he wrote. Sometimes they looked like flames, and other times they appeared to sparkle. It happened in the early evening, and several people witnessed the unusual sight.
Flying machines and special effects were only a fantasy at the time. Modern fireworks weren't invented until the 1830s. Some thought the sightings were caused by gas burning in the marshland. But others say that's not likely. So, what in the world were people seeing? For now, the truth may be out of reach. But Winthrop's report gave Boston a unique claim to fame. It's where the first unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings were reported in what is now the United States.
QUESTION 1
QUESTION 1 OF 4
1 / 4
What is this article mainly about?
A.Flying machines seen in the Massachusetts Bay Colony
B.The first reported sightings of UFOs in what's now the U.S.
C.John Winthrop's writings about rowing up the Muddy River
D.The sightings of burning gas in the marshland around Boston
B. The first reported sightings of UFOs in what's now the U.S.
Think about the article. Which of these is true about the first reported UFO sighting in the U.S.?
A.The first sighting lasted only a few minutes and was soon forgotten.
B.The first sighting was witnessed by men setting off fireworks.
C.The first sighting darted back and forth before fading away.
D.The first sighting sparkled like lights from the moon.