The Glowing Ring at Delphos
On a Kansas farm, a boy said a glowing object hovered over the ground and flew off. Where it had been, his parents found a ring of soil that glowed in the dark.
What was reported
On the evening of 2 November 1971, a 16-year-old boy tending sheep on his family's farm near Delphos said he saw a mushroom-shaped object covered in coloured lights hovering just above the ground, making a rumbling noise. It rose and flew away, and he was temporarily blinded.
His parents went out and found a ring on the ground where it had been, which they said glowed in the dark. The soil inside was dry and crusted, and wouldn't absorb water, even months later.
Explanations offered
Investigators who tested the soil found it contained a fungus, which can form 'fairy rings' and repel water, and some suggested a hoax. Others thought it was a feeding ring left by livestock. The family stood by the story, and the case is still cited by UFO researchers.
- When
- 2 November 1971
- Where
- Delphos, Kansas, USA
- Witnesses
- A teenage boy on a farm, and his parents
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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