In 1961, a bizarre incident occurred in Eagle River, Wisconsin, USA. A local resident named Joe Simonton claimed that he met an alien who gave him four pancakes.
The US Air Force took this story seriously and even sent the pancakes for analysis. What did they find?
The encounter with the foreigner
According to Simonton, on April 18, 1961, he heard a strange noise outside his house. He went outside and saw a silver, disc-shaped object about 30 feet in diameter and 8 feet tall. It had exhaust pipes around its perimeter and was standing on three legs.
Simonton approached the object and saw three beings inside. They looked human, but had dark skin and wore black suits with helmets. One of them gestured for Simonton to give him some water. Simonton complied and brought a jug of water from his house.
As he delivered the water, Simonton noticed that one of the aliens was cooking something on a flameless stove. He saw four thin, brown discs that looked like pancakes. He asked for one of them and the alien gave it to him.
Simonton said the aliens did not speak any language he could understand, but they seemed friendly and polite. He estimated they were about 5 feet tall and weighed about 130 pounds.
After receiving the water, the aliens took off in their ship, leaving Simonton with four pancakes as a souvenir.
The Air Force investigation
Simonton reported his encounter to the local sheriff, who contacted the United States Air Force. The Air Force was interested in UFO sightings at the time as part of Project Blue Book, a systematic study of unidentified flying objects.
Two Project Blue Book officers visited Simonton and interviewed him. They found him sincere and trustworthy, but were skeptical about his story. They took one of the pancakes to a laboratory for analysis.
The lab report stated that the pancake was made from regular flour, sugar, and fat. It had no traces of any extraterrestrial material or radiation. It was similar to buckwheat pancakes made by humans.
The Air Force concluded that Simonton’s story was either a hoax or a hallucination. They closed the case as “unidentified,” meaning they were unable to satisfactorily explain it.
The consequences of the incident
Simonton maintained his story until his death in 1985. He said he never regretted meeting the aliens or eating their pancakes. He said he felt honored by the visit and wished they would return.
He also said that he didn’t care what other people thought of him or his story. He said that he knew what he saw and experienced, and that was enough for him.
The incident has become famous in UFO circles as one of the most bizarre cases ever reported. Some ufologists have suggested that Simonton may have encountered interdimensional travelers or time travelers rather than aliens.
Others have speculated that the aliens might be testing human reactions or conducting some sort of food experiment.
The three remaining pancakes are still preserved by Simonton’s relatives as mementos of their meeting.
