The Continued Mystery of the Blackout of 1965 and the Fireball

I have written about the blackout of 1965 a few times over the past few years. Each time I write about the event I am sent emails or called by people all over the world who lived along the East Coast of the United States at the time.  Many of them claim to have seen the same fire ball I did. Others  report that they saw UFO’s or had lost time encounters  during the day of the blackout in 65. 

 The main thread for me is the fact  many people experienced strange events during the 1965 blackout. The true oddness of it all is how none of the events seen   were covered by the media or news even though many claimed they  reported the events. It seems that the blackout of 1965 has many mysterious  components that  were quickly swept under the carpet and forgotten.   

I want to write one more article appealing to those who lived through the  1965 northeast blackout who  may have seen something strange that day in hopes they too will come forward before it is too late and  long forgotten. The more information we collect the closer we may one day get to understanding  exactly what was going on during that long dark night over the skies of the north eastern portion of the United States. 

I live in New York. I was there  that  fall night during the  1965 blackout. It was a  huge blackout that covered at least  six other states and parts of Canada. It  happened about dinner time on November 9th .  I was 14 years old at the time. 

It was one of those moments that you  keep a perfect  photo image of in your mind for your entire life. We all have  moments like this . Seeing your child’s face for the first time or hearing the one you love tell you they love you too. Moments that live with us forever. 

In my bank of things I will never forget lives the day I sat on the front steps of my house with my friend and next door neighbor Barbara . Together we watched a massive fireball cross the  night sky during the 1965  blackout. The image of that huge glowing orb will live clearly in my mind forever. 

I can recall sitting on the front steps of my house  that night as if it happened last night.  I can still feel  the old worn out jean jacket I was wearing . I can remember pulling on the sleeves to cover more of my hands as I was cold and the jacket  not warm enough  for the night. We were singing and laughing and killing time while the world sat dark and silent. It was a  typical  crisp New York fall night.  

My parents were in the house fussing with candles and the details of figuring out how to keep the house warm as well as what to do about dinner. I remember listening  to my father banging around  the fireplace as he sorted out the logs and arranged a cooking and sleeping area for the  family that night around the  fireplace in the living room.  

My friend and I were sitting  on the  front porch steps of my house when suddenly a  huge orange reddish yellowish ball or orb streaked across the sky over the houses. It was enormous. It went across the entire sky  at an incredible speed and was gone. I never saw anything like it before. Barbara thought it was a meteor or comet that was crashing to earth. 

We yelled for my parents to come see the fireball. By the time my parents made it outside the  huge burning orb was long gone. We told my parents  with great excitement what we had just seen. My father tuned on  our little transistor radio to the local news. Nothing was mentioned about this huge ball of fire.  We listened all night but nothing was said. My father told us we may have just seen a shooting star or comet and brushed the entire thing off. Barbara and I knew we saw something incredible.  

My life went on and I did not think much about that day. From time to time I would see the image of that huge burning ball in my head but would just chalk it up to part of the blackout . I thought others must have seen it too.  My father may have been right and it was a shooting star or comet.  I figured if it were special it would have been on the news.    How innocent and trusting I was at the time and wrong! 

 Years later when I was an adult  I was out with my mother.  Since we were in the area where I grew up I decided to  take my mother for a drive through the town where we lived during the blackout. I thought it would be fun to drive my mother past our old house .  

As we drove by the house we once lived I off offhandedly remarked to my mother about the night of big blackout. I said to my mother :  “ That was some day mom. I can still see that huge red burning ball as if it was yesterday.”   My mother looked at me curiously and said:  “What are you talking about? What burning ball?”  I looked at my mom and questioned her confused by her response:    ”You know that huge burning orb that flew across the sky the night of the blackout.”   My mother looked at me as if I had two heads and said : “There was no burning orb in the sky, what in the world are you talking about?” 

I told my mother my memory of sitting on the steps with my friend as we watched  the burning orb streak across the sky. I talked about how we ran in to the house for everyone to come out and see it.  My mother told me I must have had a dream that happened as she did not remember anything like that. I now was confused and concerned. My mother was aging and I thought she must have simply forgotten. 

When I returned home I called my older sister and reported the entire story to her. I asked her if she remembered a fireball like that being reported or recalled that my friend and I had seen it. My sister did not remember anything like that either. I felt a bit uneasy and thought maybe it was a dream. I felt uncomfortable thinking I recalled a dream that clearly and always thought it was a real event. 

A few years passed and I received an invitation for  my 30th High School class reunion. I thought it would be fun to see all my old classmates and made arrangements to go. I heard my old friend Barbara was going to be there. We lost touch over the years. I was happy I was going to see her again.  

The reunion was a success . Seeing Barbara was wonderful.  In the middle of catching up with the details of our lives  Barbara  brought up the night of the blackout.  Barbara said to me:

 “Remember that big orange /red ball that raced across the sky during the blackout?” 

I nearly fell out of my chair. It was true. Barbara remembered it too. I quickly told Barbara the story of how my family did not recall any of it and how I thought I dreamed it and now knew it had happened.  

She looked at me for a long time and said-  “You know, now that you bring it up, I do not recall anyone else ever talking about it.”   We talked about the event for the rest of the night. 

Once again life marched on.  I would think about that event now and then. I often thought it extremely strange that we could have seen such a huge amazing event without reading, or hearing that anyone else on this earth had seen it too. To be honest the memory made me a bit uncomfortable. 

Years went by until one day  in the year 2003 Barbara called me . We talked about our lives . At the end of the conversation she mentioned that she had done a bit of research on the blackout of 1965 and found that many people had reported seeing UFO’s , strange lights as well as other odd events on that night. I found this interesting  as well as somewhat comforting that others had experienced seeing something besides us. What really interested me was how little was found or written about the mysterious things reported at the time. I found it incredible that so many people witnessed odd things that night yet  there was little or no coverage or mention of it anywhere. 

Years passed and my journey in life brought me to a place where I now was writing about the paranormal . It did not take me long to decide to write about that night, that blackout and that huge amazing  fireball. 

I have researched this event over the years  and  found my friend Barbara was right.Many  people did see exactly what Barbara and I saw that  night of November 9^th 1965. I think it is obvious much more took place that day other then the blackout.  I think our innocence, ignorance and complacency at the time may have played a major role in the fact so little was reported or said about what people witnessed that night.  Society strongly ridiculed those who reported such things at the time which  kept many who did see things silent. 

The unknown was not as widely discussed as it is today which added to the ease of keeping what people were seeing that night easily hidden and kept away from the public’s awareness.  

I personally feel more was at play at the time other than an accidental blackout. The incredible burning orb I saw with my own eyes that night  should have been front page news. How or why it was not will always be a mystery to me. I found the fact my own family could not remember the event extremely strange as well. 

Once I  wrote about my own experience that day I  started to receive emails  from people all over the world who  lived in the north eastern part of the United States during the 1965 blackout who also saw strange things or had odd events occur . 

Below you will find a sampling of some of the emails sent to me over the years concerning the blackout of 1965:

Chris

This is just a sample of many reports I have been sent by people concerning the blackout of 1965. I  have also received reports  of lost time encounters and  close encounters with UFO’s and aliens all happening on this day. 

I have come to the conclusion much more happened on November 9th 1965 then a huge strange blackout.  If  you or anyone you know can add to our list of sightings or strange encounter that may have happened to you or those you  know during the 65 blackout please  let me know.

I believe if we talk about this event and reach out to those who may have seen something incredible during that blackout we may start to understand what really took place over the north eastern portion of the Untied States that day in November 1965. I am convinced we have never been told the real story. 

Please email me or call me if you too saw something and wish to say something about that odd day in our history. 

 Email me at [email protected]  or call me at 631-887-4818 Please leave a message with a time to call you back. If we all join together and refuse to be dismissed we may at least find part of the truth to some of what really  happens to us during strange events like massive blackouts. 

Pay attention to your surroundings. be careful out there and always keep looking up!

Also read: The Blackout of 1965 and the Fireball  

♥ Copyright © 2008-2011 Chris Holly’s Paranormal World http://endlessjrny.blogspot.com/

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