The Night of Levelland
The account
A glowing object knocked out the engines and headlights of several cars in a single night.
What investigators found
The Air Force attributed the reports to ball lightning and rainy weather, an explanation disputed by researchers.
The story
Overnight from November 2 to 3, 1957, police in Levelland, in West Texas, received a string of calls. Drivers said they had seen a glowing, egg-shaped object on the road or just above it. As it approached, engines and headlights failed, returning to normal once the light moved away. Even police officers reported seeing the glow.
The case happened just hours after the launch of Sputnik 2 and made headlines across the country. Project Blue Book concluded that storms and ball lightning explained the lights, and that the car failures were caused by moisture. Critics point out that no major storms were recorded that night, and the case remains among the most cited of the 1950s.