1867, November 4: Black Discs Seen Overhead

        On November 4, 1867, something strange was happening in the skies above Chatham, England; objects described as black discs were seen in the air near the town reservoir.

        The discs appeared between 3:00pm and 4:00pm, in plain daylight, and were seen by multiple people. They were both in groups and scattered about, too many to count. The discs passed rapidly through the air, were visible for at least twenty minutes each, and appeared like large cannon shot as they passed the sun. Yet the black discs were not solid, as they were also seen to disappear suddenly both individually and in groups, leaving only puffs of grayish brown vapor resembling smoke.

        Captain James E. Beveridge wrote to Symon's Monthly Meteorological Magazine both to report the matter and to ask what it could have been. The editor of the magazine attached a note stating that several other persons had also reported the odd occurrence. They had no guess about what had been seen.