Unidentified Aerial Object Over Birmingham in 1950

Summary

In May 1950, several witnesses in Birmingham, Alabama, observed an unusual aerial object. According to a newspaper article from the time, seven people, including D. L. Reid and Charles Bellanyder, described a luminous object that remained stationary in the sky for 15 minutes. Initially bright white, it shifted to a bluish hue and displayed an incandescent tail. Reid described it as a rotating bullet-shaped object that suddenly ascended vertically. Bellanyder, a former sailor, confirmed it wasn't a searchlight and described a tail 150 feet long.

The army's official report included the article with no further details. Although witnesses didn't identify it as a flying saucer, they agreed it was something entirely new to them. The detailed descriptions and reactions from those who saw it suggest an unusual and hard-to-explain experience.