Mothman

When Did It Start?

In the first reported case in 1877 a man observed what looked like a human male with bat-like wings, soaring over buildings in Brooklyn. NY, about 3 years later there were multiple reports of the same creature flying over Coney Island, Brooklyn, the being was noted as having a very stern or evil look to his face. Though, the English Springheeled-Jack of 1837 may have been a Mothman too.

Brooklyn Batman. Over 100 years ago, a man named W. H. Smith told the New York Sun that he saw a "winged human form" flying over Brooklyn, New York on September 18, 1877. Just about three years later, there were multiple reports from Coney Island, Brooklyn, of a man with bat-like wings flying overhead at approximately 1,000 feet. The man was flying toward the New Jersey coast, witnesses told the New York Times, and that he bore a "cruel and determined expression" on his face.

Russian Legend. There had been legends of a flying man in the Soviet Union, but not quite like the one described above. Hunters around the Sikhote Mountains near Vladivostok claimed to have come across prints of a barefoot human that ended abruptly, as if he had taken off into the air. Such a creature was actually seen by writer V.K. Arsenyev in July, 1908. "I saw the mark on the path that was very similar to a man's footprint... then something rushed about nearby trampling among the bushes. Then I stooped, picked up a stone and threw it towards the unknown animal. Then something happened that was quite unexpected: I heard the beating of wings. Something large and dark emerged from the fog and flew over the river."

In the early 1950s, a couple was taking an evening stroll near their home by the sea at Pelotas, Brazil. When two fast-moving shadows crossed their path, they looked up to see what they at first thought were two enormous birds flying about 30 feet above the ground. It was soon evident to the couple that these were not birds at all when the two flying creatures descended vertically and landed not far away. It was then clear that they looked like men, standing about six feet tall. Discovering they were being watched by the couple, the two "birdmen" squatted close to the ground, as if trying to hide. The female half of the couple convinced her husband to leave - and quickly.