The Kelly-Hopkinsville Goblins
The account
A family spent the night shooting at small silvery beings that surrounded their farmhouse.
What investigators found
Police found no trace of the beings; skeptics suggest owls seen in the dark by panicked people.
The story
On the night of August 21, 1955, a visitor of the Sutton family said he saw a light come down near their farm in rural Kentucky. Shortly afterward, according to the residents, small creatures with big ears and glowing eyes appeared at the windows and on the roof. The men of the house fired several times, and the figures seemed to float and fall without being hurt.
Terrified, eleven adults and children fled to the police station. Officers went to the scene and found bullet holes, but no sign of the beings or of any craft. The case helped popularize the phrase "little green men," even though the witnesses described silvery beings. The most cited skeptical explanation is owls, which have reflective eyes and defend their territory at night.