Kelly–Hopkinsville, 21 August 1955: The Night of the "Little Men"
A farm family near Kelly, Kentucky, told police they had spent hours fighting off small, glowing, big-eared creatures with shotguns. Police found bullet holes but no creatures. Blue Book filed it as a hoax; skeptics later suggested great horned owls.
Sources Kentucky New Era and other press, Aug 1955; Hopkinsville police and state police statements; Project Blue Book; Joe Nickell, Skeptical Inquirer (2006); Wikipedia, 'Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter'
On the evening of 21 August 1955, Billy Ray Taylor, a visitor at the Sutton farmhouse near Kelly in Christian County, Kentucky, said he had seen a glowing saucer land. Soon after, the families said, small silvery creatures with large ears, big eyes and long arms approached the house. For hours the men fired shotguns and rifles at them through windows and doors; the creatures seemed to float away when hit, then return.
The police
Around 11 p.m. the families drove to the Hopkinsville police station. Police and sheriff’s deputies went to the farm, found bullet holes and spent shells, and found no creatures. Officers said the families seemed genuinely terrified.
Readings
The Air Force’s Project Blue Book filed the case as a hoax. Investigator Joe Nickell argued that great horned owls, which are aggressive at night, have glowing eyes and can look silvery in light, may explain the attackers. The event inspired the pop-culture “little green man.” Kelly holds an annual festival.
Ledger status
Marked disputed. Map position is town level; the farm site is private.
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter” — en.wikipedia.org
- Joe Nickell, “Siege of ‘Little Green Men’”, Skeptical Inquirer 30.6 (2006) — skepticalinquirer.org
Part of the World Ledger, batch 1. Original text; no images are used.
Evidence ledger
Each claim in this file, the source it rests on, and how well it holds up: 2 corroborated · 2 disputed. What the labels mean.
| Claim | Source | Type · date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Members of the Sutton and Taylor families reported creatures attacking their farmhouse near Kelly, Kentucky. | Kentucky New Era; police statements | period press · 1955 | corroborated |
| Police found evidence of gunfire but no creatures. | Police reports, per Wikipedia | official · 1955 | corroborated |
| Project Blue Book listed it as a hoax.Investigators noted the family's fear seemed genuine. | Blue Book file | official · 1955 | disputed |
| Great horned owls, defending their nest, could explain the 'little men'. | Joe Nickell (2006) | secondary · 2006 | disputed |
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