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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Oma varallisuus on elämämme henkilökohtaisimpia asioita. Kun se luottaa toisen hoidettavaksi, pitää sen olla henkilökohtaista myös hänelle. Me OP Privatella ymmärrämme tämän hyvin. Myös jokaisella meistä on oma taloutemme, jota huolellisesti vaalimme. Samalla sitoutumisella suhtaudumme myös sinun varojesi hoitoon. OP Private. Otamme varojesi hoidon henkilökohtaisesti.
Tutustu palveluun. op.fi kautta private. Varainhoidon tarjoaa Osuspankki tai OP Varainhoito Oy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Hello, it is a wild windswept night and this is the third episode of our brand new series Uncanny Cold Cases. This time we are going back to America in 1961. I want you to picture the scene. It is late summer and a couple called Betty and Barney Hill pull up outside their house at the end of a long road trip. They have no idea how they got home because three hours of their lives
have completely seemingly disappeared. The last thing they remember is seeing something impossible and frightening in the sky. And then after that, nothing. Something happened that night that changed Betty and Barney's lives forever. This is a UFO case like no other. But can we explain it? Oh, let's do this, because I'm Danny Robbins, and this... is uncanny cold cases.
What has passed comes again In the cold where we lay Secret still remains Secret still remains
Hello, how are you? Welcome to another episode of Uncanny Cold Cases, our brand new series exploring some of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries in paranormal history. To help me, as always, I am joined by the Supernatural A-Team. For Team Skeptic, Forensic Psychologist Dr. Kieran O'Keefe, and for Team Believer, Writer and Parapsychologist Evelyn Holloway. It is so good to have you both here.
Kieran, this is not a ghost case. This is a UFO. But every time we do UFOs, people are absolutely fascinated by them.
Yeah, and I'm not surprised. I'm equally fascinated by them. But when people think of UFO cases, they think of Area 51 or Roswell. Here, I think we've got a forgotten case that is equally amazing. This is the OG of UFO cases, isn't it? It is, and it almost sets the template for future UFO and potential abduction cases as well. And for me, it's a case that is rife with human psychology.
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Chapter 2: What happened during Barney and Betty Hill's UFO encounter in 1961?
And we're talking about time before aeroplanes were invented. So what is going on here?
Really interesting. In that area, it's quite a thought, isn't it, that things have been happening there even since before planes existed. There have been objects seen in the sky. So interesting. All right, as with all of our cases, let us dive in and bring this story to life as we try and make sense of it. So, it is late September 1961.
Barney and Betty Hill are driving home from a short holiday... at Niagara Falls, a great waterfall just over the border in Canada. They've been married a year, both on their second marriage. Betty is 42. She's a short, slender, white social worker with a neat, dark bob. Barney is 39. He's a tall, bookish black man who works night shifts at a Boston post office.
Remember, this is early 1960s America. It's still heavily segregated. So Barney and Betty face discrimination and threats from people who disapprove of their marriage. They're both active in the civil rights movement. A storm is brewing, but they can't afford another hotel, so they decide to push through. On the way, they stop for dinner right on the border between Canada and the US.
The diner is full of young guys who seem determined to make Barney feel uncomfortable, so they don't hang around. They have just 185 miles to go. It is 10pm. They should be home by 2. They continue on through the spectacular scenery of the White Mountains, but then, just before 11... Betty notices something bright in the night sky. A falling star? Except it's moving upwards. A satellite?
She makes Barney pull over and grabs their binoculars. Closer up, she can see the object more clearly. Her breath catches. That's no satellite, she says, trembling, handing the binoculars to Barney. He sees a long, flattened craft with windows along one side. Maybe it's a new kind of plane, he thinks, until it suddenly drops at impossible speed, heading straight for them.
They scramble back into the car. Betty keeps an eye on the craft whilst Barney drives like he's got the devil on his tail. The object darts about crazily, moving incredibly fast, changing direction, and then... It vanishes into the dark. The couple breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe it's gone, but then... It reappears ahead of them, dropping low until it hovers above the road.
Barney hits the brakes hard and reaches for the pistol in the glove box. He is a black man in 1960s America. This is not the first time he's had to make an unscheduled stop. He squints up at the bright lights. Whatever this is, it is now so close that, incredibly, he can make out figures inside. And there's something about them that doesn't look quite human. while some of them seem to be smiling.
One in particular has a look on his face that makes Barney feel, he says, like a bug caught in a net. Betty, he yells, revving the engine. We got to get out of here. Evelyn, dramatic start to our story. Let's talk about Betty and Barney first up. How do we feel in terms of their reliability as witnesses?
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Chapter 3: How do we assess the reliability of Betty and Barney as witnesses?
Like, I don't believe that we're alone in the universe. I just don't think that's statistically possible.
But the volume of evidence in this case is absolutely insane in terms of the variety of stuff from the chemicals that were on Betty's dress to things that happened to the car, to the burnt tree, to the missing time, to the joint watches being stopped, to so many other people reporting phenomenon in the area.
I think regardless of whether or not you believe it was UFOs that took them onto a craft, something happened to these people.
That is a politician's answer. That avoided answering the question.
Were they on board that craft? I don't know if they were on board the craft. I don't know. I don't know. The thing is, if they were not taken on board the craft, where does that come from? Where does that come from? Because people will think, oh, well, that's typical UFO abduction. You were taken on a craft. No, these were the first people to report an abduction of this kind with this much detail.
So where did that come from in their brains?
This is the question we will be asking for probably years to come. Thank you both and thank you for spending your time with us. How do you feel having heard all of the evidence, the experts' theories? Are you a team believer or team sceptic? And if you've got an idea for a cold case that you think we should look at, I'd love to hear from you.
Email me uncanny at bbc.co.uk or find me, Danny Robbins, on social media. I'm across pretty much every platform. This has been fun. I love a UFO. But next time on Uncanny Cold Cases, we are back in the world of ghosts to take a deep dive into a spectacular haunting in Georgian London. Prepare for some serious shivers.
People don't understand where the knocking is coming from and it doesn't seem to be coming from one place. It seems to be coming from different points in the room. It's moving around. This is ground zero for people trying to talk to ghosts.
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Chapter 4: What role did public perception of UFOs play in the 1960s?
The story sections were written by Joel Morris and Will McLean and it was produced by Simon Barnard and Victoria Lloyd. Our editor and sound designer is Charlie Brandon-King and incidental music is composed by Evelyn Sykes. This is a Baffle Gab and Uncanny Media production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.
Hi there, I'm Izzy Judd and I'm so pleased to be back with the Music and Meditation Podcast Series 6. We'll be talking about everything from reframing anxiety to getting a good night's sleep. So if you need to find some moments of calm in your day, subscribe to the Music and Meditation Podcast on BBC Sounds.
Music You are in good hands.