| In the 1938 comic strip Smokey Stover, a
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| | baffled pilots attempted to intercept,
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| firefighter was known for his line,
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| | and even fire upon the globes, their
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| "Where there's foo, there's fire." From
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| | efforts were unsuccessful, and the
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| Smokey, aircraft pilots borrowed the term
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| | objects usually zoomed away of their own
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| "foo fire" to describe the various
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| | accord.
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| unexplainable phenomenon seen in the
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| | Foo fighters were mentioned in the
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| skies over Europe and the Pacific theatre
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| | American mass media. Ponderous articles
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| during World War II. While Allied pilots
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| | appeared in Time and Newsweek in 1945,
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| initially thought the flying objects were
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| | contributing to the wave of UFO
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| German secret or psychological weapons,
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| | consciousness building in the US. By 1952
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| after the war it was discovered that
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| | so many civilians were contacting
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| sightings were also reported by the
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| | government agencies regarding UFO reports
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| enemy, who had assumed the crafts were
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| | that regular intelligence work was being
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| US-made. To this day, the sightings
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| | affected.
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| remain a mystery.
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| | While scientists have never been able to
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| Over the course of the war, fireballs,
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| | explain the phenomenon, many speculations
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| estimated to be as big as 300 feet and as
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| | have been advanced as possibilities. Five
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| small as 1 foot in diameter, were
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| | of the most plausible theories are:
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| reported and thoroughly documented. These
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| | 1. The fireballs may be nothing more than
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| apparitions left witnesses awe-inspired,
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| | St. Elmo's Fire, a reddish brush-like
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| wary, and frightened-although the foo
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| | discharge of atmospheric electricity
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| fighters never harmed or attempted to
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| | which has often been seen near the tips
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| harm anyone. The CIA was commissioned in
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| | of church steeples, ships' masts and
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| 1952 to study the reports and concluded
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| | yardarms. It also appears at a plane's
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| that while mysterious, foo fighters were
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| | wing tips.
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| not a considered a threat to national
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| | 2. They may have been optical illusions,
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| security.
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| | mere after-images of light remaining in
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| A Foo fighter is an umbrella term that
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| | pilots' eyes after being dazzled by flak
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| includes flying objects of various shapes
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| | bursts.
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| and sizes. Wobbling, or vibrating flares
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| | 3. Occurrences may have been the rare
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| were described as glowing globes of
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| | effect of "ball lightning," a glowing,
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| intense green, yellow, red, orange, or
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| | drifting bubble of light typically eight
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| white lights. One crew even reported
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| | inches in diameter. These generally,
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| observing the phosphorescent spheres
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| | though not always, follow regular
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| going through a sequence of color changes
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| | lightning strikes.
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| at regular intervals. Other reports
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| | 4. Bright ground objects reflected from
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| describe them as silver or gold metallic,
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| | the curved plastic canopy of an aircraft
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| and disk-shaped. They frequently appeared
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| | can be perceived as images above the
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| at the wing tips of planes in pairs or
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| | horizon.
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| alone, although sometimes they were found
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| | 5. Proponents of the extraterrestrial
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| in larger clusters of fifteen or more. In
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| | hypothesis (ETH) have suggested that foo
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| one report 150 objects were estimated to
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| | fighters are hard evidence of ETs
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| be arranged in 10-12 lines. Picking up an
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| | visiting earth.
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| aircraft, these blobs of fire could
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| | Foo fighters are certainly some of the
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| reportedly pace a plane at very high
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| | best documented reports of UFOs, and
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| speeds through extensive evasive
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| | photographs and respected testimony
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| maneuvers for several minutes. One
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| | abound. Hopefully in time the mystery
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| British officer and his crew of sailors
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| | will be solved, and this comic book name
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| tracked an object from the deck of their
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| | will be replaced by its true name.
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| vessel for over an hour. Although a few
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