Greg Eghigian: History of a Cultural Phenomenon

Somewhere in the Skies

SpectreVision Radio

Social Sciences, Documentary, Science, Society & Culture

4.5 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2017

⏱️ 68 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On episode 03 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan brings up a recent New York Times article that actually takes the UFO topic seriously. It features the recent release of The U.F.O Sightings Desk Reference, a compendium book created and published by Cheryl and Linda Costa. Ever wondered what type and how many UFOs are reported in your state, city, and town? This book will definitely satisfy your curiosity. Check out the New York Times article HERE. Ryan then speaks with Greg Eghigian, Associate Professor of Modern History at Penn State University. They dive deep into a paper Greg has had published, titled, Making UFOs Make Sense: Ufology, science, and the history of their mutual mistrust. The conversation moves to examining the historical and cultural impact the entire UFO phenomenon has had and the influence that sub-culture brings to the topic. They end the conversation detailing some exciting work Greg will be doing in Washington D.C. as the Charles A. Lindbergh Chair in Aerospace History. While there, he'll be researching the history of UFOs and exchanging ideas with colleagues who work in aerospace history. It's a refreshing and hopeful interview for the past, present, and future of UFO research. Greg's will be giving several talks in London, UK, in early May. For more information, CLICK HERE Guest Bio: Greg Eghigian, is Associate Professor of Modern History at Penn State University, where he conducts research and teaches about the history of the human sciences and medicine. He is presently writing a history of UFOs and alien contact as a global cultural phenomenon in the 20th and 21st centuries. He also runs the noted blog, The UFO Past, which explores the global history of the UFO and alien contact phenomenon. You can contact him via his office email: gae2@psu.edu Please considering subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes and wherever applicable. If you have guest or topic suggestions or a personal story to share, please email: Sprague@somewhereintheskies.com Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Facebook Group: HERE Check out Ryan's book, Somewhere in the Skies: A Human Approach to an Alien Phenomenon, by CLICKING HERE Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Ryan Sprague and this is somewhere in the skies.
0:07.0	I'm Ryan Sprague and this is somewhere in the skies. disguise. I was called into the meeting on Thursday. The panel members were seated around this table.
0:37.0	It was a rather somber and impressive occasion, actually. I was a junior member and I remember feeling considerably
0:44.4	nervous and apprehensive about being in front of this powerhouse of scientists. But then
0:49.8	for the past four years I had been scientific advisor to the US Air Force on this very problem.
0:55.4	There were two films that were of particular interest to the panel at that time.
1:00.7	One was a film taken by a Navy officer while on vacation in Utah, near Tremonton, Utah,
1:07.0	and the other was a film taken in Great Falls, Montana by the owner of the local baseball team.
1:13.0	The Utah film had already been subjected
1:15.6	to some thousand or so man hours of analysis
1:18.8	by the Navy's photographic interpretation laboratory.
1:22.4	I came away from the meeting and from the room
1:24.8	with the distinct feeling, however, that the panel had deliberately moved to debunk the whole subject and not to give it the serious scientific
1:37.2	attention which it deserved.
1:40.4	The voice you just heard was that of Dr. J. Ellen Heinek, noted astronomer, professor, and scientific advisor to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under Project Sign, Project Grudge, and the best known Project Blue Book.
1:55.4	But as we heard, Heinek was also brought in to contribute his time and skills on a committee
2:01.4	known as the Robertson panel.
2:03.0	This panel was funded by the CIA in 1952 in response to widespread UFO reports.
2:10.0	The panel concluded that most UFOs could be explained as misidentification of mundane aerial
2:16.4	objects and the remaining minority could in all likelihood be explained with further study.
2:23.0	Not only that, but they believe that a public relations campaign should be undertaken
2:28.0	in order to debunk UFOs and reduce public interest in the entire subject.
	...

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