Airships

In 1896-1897, the US experienced a wave of sightings of 'Mystery Airships.' Dirigible in structure, thousands saw them and numerous newspapers wrote about these strange craft in the sky, presaging the current modern UFO phenomenon.
One such ship supposedly struck a Judges windwill and crashed. The humanoid occupant was later buried in the local cemetery, where, in the 1970's, ufological investigators attempted to examine the remains - they found the exact spot, but were chased off by police officials. When the ufologists later returned, the 'grave' had been removed....

(Remember- manned flight first started after 1903, and advanced dirigibles of the type observed in the 1890's were not invented until the 1920's)

Another wave of dirigible sightings happened in 1909, and 1913.

Some newspapers speculated that the Martians were invading. Most thought 'mad scientists' were to blame- derivatives of Frederick Marriott's and Dellschua's designs are thought the most probable culprit.

A whole range of human experience can be studied from these events- Lying, mass hysteria, xenophobia,
Or....the events were part of a alien control system designed to manipulate human consciousness, but for what purpose?

(Ever get the feeling that we are a species inside a 'fishbowl?')