ALIEN ENCOUNTERS: Chilling True Stories of the ParanormalSince the dawn of time humans have recorded strange objects in the sky. From the scribes of Pharaoh Thutmose III in 1440 B.C.E. who recorded seeing fiery disks in the sky to the ancient Greeks, the general Timoleon claimed that when at sea a fiery torch in the sky had guided his fleet safely home, and the Romans, both Livy and Pliny the Elder record strange lights and shapes in the sky, people have looked up and thought "what on earth is that?" As time has progressed and literacy has become more common reports of sightings in the sky have not only increased but have also become more detailed. On the 14th of April 1561 as dawn broke above the ancient city of Nuremberg, Germany its bleary eyed residents witnessed what was later described as an "aerial battle". People reported seeing large black triangular objects in the sky along with spheres, cylinders and various other shapes. Some reports claimed that one of the triangles crashed outside the city walls. A German broadsheet newspaper described the event in detail and illustrated it with a woodcut by engraver Hans Glaser. A series of similar celestial phenomena was reported to have taken place over the skies of Basel, Switzerland in 1566. The Basel pamphlet of 1566, produced by historian Samuel Coccius, described strange sunrises and sunsets while numerous red and black balls fought in the sky. A total eclipse of the moon was also reported. Interestingly while Ufologists regard this as a recorded alien encounter Coccius interpreted it as a religious event. These types of miracle or sky spectacles were common in the 15th and 16th centuries other notable examples occurred in Wallachia and South Korea. As our understanding of the night sky and space has grown many of these sightings have found explanations in the form of stars, planets or meteor showers. Some however are yet to be satisfactorily explained. Throughout this book, we will be looking at some of the best known and most intriguing true alien encounters from all over the world.