The Great Airship of 1897: A Provocative Look at the Most Mysterious Aviation Event in History

by Danelek, J. Allan

• ISBN13: 9781935487036
• ISBN10: 1935487035
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-11
• Publisher: Scb Distributors

Summary

In November of 1896 residents of California watched a mysterious bright light-often described as being suspended beneath a "cigar shaped" craft of considerable size-pass slowly over their cities on several occasions, sparking a media frenzy. A few months later, what appeared to be the same craft was seen in the skies over the sparsely populated prairie states of the Midwest making its way methodically eastward and appearing to literally hundreds-if not thousands-of witnesses. Then, As suddenly as the reports began, they abruptly ended, leaving a mystery that has never been satisfactorily explained by either science or historians to this day. Was it evidence of a nascent technology, appearing a full decade before Von Zeppelin began building the first of his behemoths in Germany, or was it all merely a media hoax generated by the yellow journalism of the time in an effort to increase sales? Or, most provocative of all, was it a visitor from outer space, making an early appearance? Each theory is examined in turn before J. Allan Danelek finally presents his provocative theory that the mysterious vessel was a terrestrial craft years ahead of its time that may have been destroyed just as it was on the verge of being publicly acknowledged. Admittedly controversial, The hypothesis leaves it For The reader to decide for themselves whether the history of aviation is complete as we know it or if it's merely waiting For The final chapter to be written.

Author Biography

J. (Jeffrey) Allan Danelek has been writing on the paranormal and Fortean subjects since 2000. Author of five books and a frequent guest on numerous radio shows, Jeff's approach to his subject matter is to remain an objective observer while trying to get to the heart of the varied mysteries that surround us. Jeff currently resides in Lakewood, Colorado with his wife and two sons.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction	p. 1
The Mysterious Sacramento Lights	p. 7
The Great Media Hoax?	p. 19
The Extraterrestrial Hypothesis	p. 35
Cutting Edge Technology	p. 45
Realizing a Dream	p. 59
Building an Airship	p. 77
The Great Airship Flap Revisited	p. 101
Birth of an Idea	p. 117
The Dream Takes Flight	p. 131
The Move East	p. 139
The Final Flight	p. 147
The End of a Dream	p. 155
Conclusion	p. 159
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