The Kelly–Hopkinsville Encounter
A family on a Kentucky farm said small, glowing creatures with huge ears circled their house all night.
What was reported
On the evening of 21 August 1955, Billy Ray Taylor, visiting the Sutton family farm near Kelly, said he saw a bright object land in a gully nearby. Soon after, the household said a small, silvery figure with large pointed ears, big glowing eyes and long arms came towards the house, followed by others.
For several hours the family tried to drive the figures away, firing guns at them, and said the creatures floated rather than fell when hit. They then drove to the police in Hopkinsville. Officers searched the farm and found no trace of the visitors, though they noted the family was genuinely frightened.
Explanations offered
The investigator Joe Nickell suggested the family saw great horned owls, which have ear tufts, glowing eyes and silvery feathers in light, are active at night and defend their nests aggressively; the 'landing' may have been a meteor. Others note the witnesses knew the local wildlife. The case gave rise to the popular image of little green men.
- When
- 21–22 August 1955
- Where
- Kelly, near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, USA
- Witnesses
- Eleven people at a farmhouse, then police
- 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.