Today in History - September 19: The purported alien abduction that began it all
Barney Hill shows a drawing he did of the flying saucer. Getty
A US couple sighted a bright light in the sky as they were driving home from a holiday on September 19, 1961.
Following the light down a quiet and isolated road, Barney and Betty Hill recounted an odd-shaped craft hovering above them.
The Hills fled after seeing humanoid figures in black uniforms approaching them.
They arrived back at their home hours later than expected feeling strange, with significant gaps in their memories.
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Betty and Barney Hill's purported UFO encounter became an international curiosity. Getty
Mrs Hill insisted on leaving their luggage near the back door and Mr Hill felt compelled to examine his genitals. His shoes were scraped, his binoculars strap was torn and both their watches were broken. Mrs Hill's dress was torn and there was a pink powder on it.
Though they could not remember the details, the two believed they had an intrusive extra-terrestrial encounter they could not remember.
The pair were later hypnotised by a psychiatrist, and both recounted details that were consistent with each other.
Both Mr and Mrs Hill spoke under hypnosis about being medically examined by human-like but otherworldly figures.
Their psychiatrist was confident the pair were not lying, but believed they were both having a shared delusion or a remarkably similar hallucination.
In the few years after the purported abduction, Mrs Hill described the abductors as short, black-haired men.
But 11 days after the airing of science-fiction show The Outer Limits, Mr Hill's description under hypnosis was far more similar to the aliens depicted in the show.
Nevertheless, their story captured the imagination of the world when it became widely reported.
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The pair's story did not convince their psychiatrist, but others believed them. Getty
Their story inspired a series of science fiction films and became the prototypical example of alien abduction.
Mr Hill died in 1969 aged 46.
Mrs Hill lived until 2004, recounting many more UFO encounters during her lifetime.
Sceptics have noted Mrs Hill's re-telling of her abduction changed every time she told the story.
For more from our Today in History archive, click here
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