Aliens: Arguably the most popular conspiracy theory of all time, as well as the most debated. From its impact on ancient societies to potential government cover ups, the belief in aliens is a discussion that has been ongoing for centuries. Where did this theory come from? Why did it become so popular? Were they present in ancient times? What is the most popular theory about them now? All your questions will be answered in: All About Aliens.
The History of Aliens on Earth:
The belief in aliens does not have a defined, set date of when it started, but all the way back to ancient times, there were stories of beings from other worlds visiting earth from the sky. Some examples being seen in ancient Sumerian texts mentioning gods descending from the sky and Hindu scriptures describing flying machines called vimanas. However, these early legends often included supernatural or divine attributes to these beings rather than considering them in the more modern, scientifical sense which we use now.
The theory began shifting to a more scientifical viewpoint during the Renaissance and Enlightenment Eras between the 14th and 18th century. This was aided by astronomers such as Nicolaus Copernicus, the first person to suggest that Earth is not the center of the universe, and Galileo Galilei, who suggested the idea of other extraterrestrial bodies after finding moons around Jupiter which resembled Earth’s moon.
Within the 1800’s, there was also a lot of media created about this scientifical aliens theory, specifically through science fiction books. A popular example is Jules Verne’s 1886 “Robur le Conquerant”, or Robur the Conqueror, which featured detailed descriptions of UFO’s as well as features a UFO abduction. Another popular example is H.G. Well’s 1898 “The War on Worlds” in which extraterrestrials invade Earth, leading to a war between humans and aliens.
These books were very popular and following their release, along with many others, an “airship wave” occurred in the United States. This is when a surplus of people, a couple thousand overall, reported seeing mysterious airships or flying objects in the sky, especially in California, over about a 6-month period in the late 1890’s. It is now popularly believed that the mysterious airships were due to the fore mentioned alien media that had been published over the years prior to this, however, there is still no definite known reasoning behind this phenomenon. Along with this, there was an upscale in reported crop circles during the late 1800’s which people claimed were made by aliens as either a message or as artwork to mark their presence. Researchers however stated that these could have been caused naturally by meteorological phenomena’s like whirlwinds or “vortexes” that can flatten crops. Meanwhile, local law enforcement typically claimed they were made by pranksters. Ultimately, during this time, aliens remained a popular theory after this, but not a mainstream one yet.
There were a couple other supposed sightings and alien incidents throughout the centuries, especially during World War II, however, the theory did not truly cement its legacy until the 1947 Roswell Incident. Probably the most famous supposed alien encounter to ever occur, a man named Mac Brazel, who lived 30 miles north of Roswell, New Mexico found debris scattered across his land. This debris consisted of metallic foil, rubber strips, and sticks. Brazel reported this to the police and the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issued a press release stating that they had recovered either a “flying disc” or “flying saucer”. As soon as this press release was issued, the story went everywhere, garnering widespread press and public attention. The following day, the RAAF changed its statement, claiming that the recovered object was actually a weather balloon and radar target from a top-secret project known as Project Mogul, which aimed to detect Soviet nuclear tests by monitoring atmospheric conditions. However, the damage was already done, and the theory about this being a UFO crash site was spreading uncontrollably, gaining lots of popularity. Ultimately, this second statement, instead of calming this theory, rather led people to think that the US government was trying to cover up a UFO crash which only caused a larger surge in the original theory’s popularity. This theory became so popular that there were even alleged witnesses coming forward, claiming they saw alien bodies being recovered from the crash site, although these reports were never confirmed. This theory continued its immense popularity throughout the later decades, so much so that the government had to get involved again 50 years later in the 1990’s. They had the U.S. Air Force spend 3 years reexamining all the evidence and release a report named “Roswell Report: Case Closed”. Ultimately, in this report the Air Force concluded that the debris was definitely from a classified high-altitude balloon project. Despite this, aliens remained a popular theory, so much so that the report is still available and easily accessible on the US Department of Defense’s website. The incident created a multitude of media, from books to movies to television shows, the most recent being a 4-season show which ran from 2019 to 2022. Overall, this incident truly cemented the theory’s popularity in society and has led to people spending the past few decades heavily theorizing about alien involvement within all of human history, from ancient times to now.
Ancient Alien Theories:
There is an “ancient aliens” theory which suggests that extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth throughout history and influenced human civilization and events.
There are some well-known examples of this supposed intervention in historical events. One of these examples, and the most popular, is the supposed alien involvement with the creation of the Pyramids of Egypt. The main reason people believe this is because of the advanced engineering that had to go into the pyramids due to its sheer size, precision, and complexity of design. Many think it would have been impossible with the tools and technology available at the time to build the pyramids so they would have needed extraterrestrial assistance. Specifically, people believe that the Egyptians used aliens’ anti-gravity devices to help build them. Another reason that propelled the popularity of this theory is the lack of evidence about how exactly the pyramids were built. While archeologists do have some details on the construction, we still do not know the full process of how it was made and part of it remains a mystery as we have never found any detailed records or blueprints to definitively show the process.
Another example of theorized historical alien intervention was within Mayan and Aztec cultures. These societies notably had an advanced knowledge of astronomy, mathematics, and engineering which people claim they could not have possibly possessed without extraterrestrial aid. People say that the biggest proof of this is in the architecture of their pyramids, temples, and observatories which were extremely sophisticated for the time in reference to its precision. Along with this, there was ancient legends passed specifically throughout generations of Mayan and Aztec civilizations which mentioned stories of Gods who descended from the sky, that people believe could have actually been aliens.
Another ancient example is the mystery behind the Nazca Lines in Peru. These are large geoglyphs etched into the desert ground which cover about 450 square kilometers, or over 173 square miles. These lines are very precise and consist of shapes such as triangles or spirals as well as depictions of animals like birds and monkeys. The Nazca were around from 200 BC to 600 BC and there is very little written record of them, so nobody knows how these lines were created or why, but scholars typically theorize that they were created by the Nazca for either ceremonial or religious reasons. The main reason people believe these lines have some sort of extraterrestrial influence is because of the precision in detail and the size of the lines, as well as the fact that they are only visible from space. Therefore, many theorize that these lines were created for the benefit of extraterrestrial observers or even to serve as landing strips for UFO’s.
Lastly, there are a variety of cave drawings which supposedly depict aliens or UFO’s. The most famous example of a UFO cave drawing was found in the Niaux caves in France and are estimated to have been drawn between 13,000 and 10,000 BC. Some other examples are speculated drawings of aliens with large eyes and elongated heads painted in places such as the Tassili n’Ajjer Cave in Algeria, the Sego Canyon in Utah, and the Aboriginal Cave in Australia.
Modern Alien Theories:
In today’s time, aliens are still suspected to be involved and influential in our current society. The majority of conspiracy theories about them revolve around their involvement with the United States government, who supposedly uses nondisclosure agreements to keep the information out of the public.
There are a multitude of theories surrounding how the aliens are involved in the government, first and most well-known being the theory that the government is covering up alien contact and UFO sighting. As mentioned above, this theory first became popular during the Roswell Incident and has kept its popularity throughout the decades. Theorists suggest that government agencies, specifically the CIA and NSA, actively cover up alien visitations to prevent public awareness of alien’s existence. Supposedly they do this by classifying documents, witness testimonies, and physical evidence of UFO or alien encounters. Along with this, theorists believe the government hides this evidence in secure bases, which is where they also keep and test the aliens or their advanced technology that come to Earth, a popular example of this being Area 51. Theorists claim the government does this to avoid creating public panic. This theory was further popularized in 2023 when whistleblower David Grusch, a former intelligence officer of 14 years in both the US Air Force and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency who had a “Top Secret” clearance, testified in front of the House of Representatives. Grusch testified that US government has a “reverse engineering program” which holds possession of “a ‘non-human’ spacecraft along with their ‘dead pilots'”. The Department of Defense commented on his testimony and firmly denied the programs existence and stated they do not possess or know of any “extraterrestrial materials”.
Another theory is that the government is in cooperation with aliens, having a diplomatic relationship with them. It is said that the government and aliens have meetings at the fore mentioned secret bases where they exchange intelligence and technology. Supposedly, the US government is also retaining extraterrestrial’s advanced technology during these meetings and using them to advance their own agendas. It is claimed the technology can be found in microchips or fiber optics and are primarily used to control the masses through mind control. Theorists believe that the government keeps this a secret so they can continue their control without issues or backlash. Some individuals, claiming to be former government insiders or whistleblowers, have come forward with testimonies about government-alien communication, however, these testimonies have never been confirmed.
The final theory is that the US government is being controlled by aliens. There are 2 main ways that this has been suggested to happen, first is aliens being able to shape shift and disguise themselves in human form as political leaders or government officials. The other manner is by using mind control technology on politicians which allows the aliens to manipulate human thoughts, behaviors, and decision-making processes. Theorists claim that with this control, aliens have been able to push their agendas on human society, impacting events such as wars, economic crises, and geopolitical splits throughout history.
Let us know what you think!! Do you believe in aliens?! Do you think they have been around since ancient times? Comment below!
