1996 in UFO history
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📅 Year
Contents 5
| Year | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Events | 10 |
| Decade | 1990s |
| Topics | Nuclear & missile sites (topic), Beings & bodies (topic), Secrecy & cover-up (topic), Congress & law (topic) |
| Timeline | 1996 on the UAP Timeline |
1996 in UFO history — the UAP Timeline records 10 events in 1996, mostly about nuclear & missile sites and beings & bodies. People named in these events include Steven Greer, Robert Bigelow, Jacques Vallée, Harold Puthoff, Colm Kelleher.
Overview
In 1996 residents of Varginha, Brazil, said they had seen strange humanoids and at least one UFO. The reports drew heavy media coverage, along with claims that authorities captured one or more beings and that animals died mysteriously at a zoo.[1] A Brazilian Army investigation concluded that a local resident had been mistaken for an alien and that troop movements in the area were routine.[1] See Varginha UFO incident. In the United States the film Independence Day, about a worldwide alien attack and a counterattack launched from the Nevada desert,, was released in 1996.[2] On 7 August NASA announced that the Martian meteorite ALH84001 showed possible signs of past life. Administrator Daniel Goldin said that if confirmed it would be one of the most stunning discoveries about the universe.[3]
Private research was expanding. Businessman Robert Bigelow had founded the National Institute for Discovery Science in Las Vegas in 1995 to study fringe science and paranormal topics, especially UFOs.[4] Its deputy administrator Colm Kelleher said, "We don't study aliens, we study anomalies."[4] On 7 January Bigelow told Jacques Vallée he was recruiting experts on consciousness. On 28 January a group including Harold Puthoff, Sandia and Los Alamos scientists and futurist John Petersen met in Las Vegas to discuss collecting UFO data and materials.[3] Also in 1996, Britain's Ministry of Defence began its secret study Project Condign, which ran until 2000.[5]
The timeline's 1996 entries also include the 30 August briefings by Steven Greer's CSETI, which gave members of Congress a list of facilities it claimed were linked to UFOs, and testimony from witnesses such as former SAIC employee Denise McKenzie and Air Force veterans Dan Morris and Michael Smith.[6][7] A May 1996 Air Force study, Air Force 2025, imagined an "airborne holographic projector".[3] British hacker Mathew Bevan was arrested on 21 June over intrusions into U.S. military and NASA systems.[6]
Events
- Army manual and high-technology devices (1996) (1996) — An Army manual lists a unit that responds to incidents involving 'high technology devices'.
- Bigelow recruits consciousness experts (1996) (7 January 1996) — Bigelow tells Vallée he is hiring experts on consciousness.
- Las Vegas data-gathering meeting (1996) (28 January 1996) — Military, scientific and corporate figures meet in Las Vegas about gathering UAP data.
- Air Force 2025 (May 1996) — An Air Force research paper imagines future air and space capabilities by 2025.
- Mathew Bevan (Kuji) arrest (21 June 1996) — A British hacker is arrested over intrusions into U.S. military and NASA systems.
- ALH84001 Mars meteorite announcement (7 August 1996) — NASA announces possible signs of past life in Mars rock ALH84001.
- Denise McKenzie's SAIC account (30 August 1996) — A former SAIC employee says she learned of UAP-related work there.
- CSETI site list for Congress (1996) (30 August 1996) — Greer's CSETI allegedly briefs Congress with a list of sites tied to UAP.
- Dan Morris testimony (30 August 1996) — Air Force Sgt. Dan Morris says he was part of a group gathering UAP information.
- Michael Smith's NORAD reporting account (30 August 1996) — An Air Force radar controller says UAP events were only to be reported to NORAD.
People
- Steven Greer — Physician who founded CSETI and the Disclosure Project.
- Robert Bigelow — Businessman who founded NIDS and Bigelow Aerospace and ran the AAWSAP contract.
- Jacques Vallée — Computer scientist and astronomer, author of the Forbidden Science journals and a central figure in UFO research.
- Harold Puthoff — Physicist who co-founded the SRI remote-viewing research and later worked on AAWSAP and To The Stars Academy.
- Colm Kelleher — Biochemist who helped run NIDS and BAASS and co-wrote Skinwalkers at the Pentagon.
- Edgar Mitchell — Apollo 14 astronaut who spoke about UFOs and whose estate held the Wilson–Davis notes.
- Christopher "Kit" Green — CIA physician and analyst who became a long-time contact of Jacques Vallée and studied UAP-related injuries.
- John Petersen — Futurist who founded the Arlington Institute.
- Mathew Bevan — Welsh hacker arrested in 1996 for breaking into U.S. military computers.
- Bill Clinton — 42nd U.S. president, lobbied about UFO files by Laurance Rockefeller.
Nearby years
1995 in UFO history · 1997 in UFO history
References
- Varginha UFO incident — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Independence Day (1996 film) — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- UAP timeline published with Michael Shellenberger's 2024 congressional testimony, entries for 1996 to May 1996 · oversight.house.gov
- National Institute for Discovery Science — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Unidentified flying object — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 21 June to 30 August 1996 · oversight.house.gov
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 30 August 1996 (CSETI, Dan Morris) · oversight.house.gov
Facts in this article are drawn in part from the Wikipedia articles “Varginha UFO incident”, “Independence Day (1996 film)”, “National Institute for Discovery Science”, “Unidentified flying object”, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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