They Called Them Airships: Victorian UFOs Soared High Over Cincinnati In 1897

Throughout the summer and autumn of 1897, H.G. Wells published his ground-breaking science-fiction novel, “War of the Worlds,” in serial form, over several issues of Cosmopolitan magazine. Simultaneously, the United States reported hundreds of UFO sightings, with dozens of witnesses in Cincinnati alone. Coincidence?They didn’t call the mysterious aerial objects UFOs in those days, of course. They called them airships. To be precise – despite sightings occurring in widely dispersed locations at the same time – they called it “The Airship” in the apparent belief that it was one swiftly moving aircraft. Sometimes they blamed Martians. The Washington Times-Herald [14 April 1897] opined:“The mysterious and awful airship has been seen careering in its mad course over Omaha. There are fears that it may contain a reconnoitering party from the planet Mars.”Maybe they were reading Mr. Wells’ new novel. The Memphis Commercial Appeal [19 April 1897] pooh-poohed this idea based on the obvious fact…