Today in UFO History

September 16, 1994 - Ruwa, Zimbabwe:

The Ariel School Incident

On September 16, 1994, more than 60 children at the Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, reported a remarkable encounter during morning recess. While their teachers were inside, the children said they saw strange silvery objects in the sky, with one apparently descending into scrubland near the school.

Several children claimed they then saw small humanoid figures near the object. Descriptions varied, but many emphasized thin bodies, unusually large heads and enormous dark eyes. Some became frightened and ran back toward the school.

Zimbabwean UFO researcher Cynthia Hind investigated shortly afterward, interviewing witnesses and collecting drawings. Many depicted disc- or oval-shaped craft and small figures with prominent eyes.

Two months later, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. John Mack traveled to Zimbabwe and interviewed several of the children on camera. Some told him that looking into the beings' eyes produced disturbing images or thoughts about environmental destruction and humanity's increasing dependence on technology.

The Ariel School case remains controversial. There are no known photographs, videos, radar records or physical evidence confirming that a spacecraft landed, and no teachers witnessed the central encounter. Critics have also questioned whether the children influenced one another while discussing what they had seen.

Nevertheless, the large number of witnesses, contemporary drawings and filmed interviews have made the Ariel School encounter one of the most famous mass UFO sightings ever reported. What the children actually encountered that morning remains unresolved.