Betty and Barney Hill | |
|---|---|
 Betty and Barney Hill with their dog, Delsey | |
| Born | Barney Hill Jr.: July 20, 1922 Newport News, Virginia Eunice Elizabeth Barrett: June 28, 1919 Newton, New Hampshire |
| Died | Barney: February 25, 1969(aged 46) Betty: October 23, 2004(aged 85) |
| Occupation(s) | Postal worker, civil rights leader (Barney) Social worker, civil rights advocate (Betty) |
| Known for | Claimants of alien abduction |
Barney and Betty Hill were an American couple who claimed they were abducted by extraterrestrials in a rural portion of the state of New Hampshire from September 19 to 20, 1961. The incident came to be called the "Hill Abduction" and the "Zeta Reticuli Incident" because two ufologists connected the star map shown to Betty Hill with the Zeta Reticuli system. Their story was adapted into the best-selling 1966 book The Interrupted Journey and the 1975 television film The UFO Incident.
Most of Betty Hill's notes, tapes, and other items have been placed in the permanent collection at the University of New Hampshire, her alma mater.[1] In July 2011, the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources marked the site of the alleged craft's first approach with a historical marker.[2]
The Hills' story was widely publicized in books and movies.[3]
Background[edit]
The Hills lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.[4] Barney (1922–1969) was employed by the United States Postal Service, while Betty (née Eunice Barrett)[5] (1919–2004) was a social worker. Active in the local Unitarian congregation, the Hills were also members of the NAACP and community leaders, and Barney sat on a local board of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. They were an interracial couple at a time when it was particularly uncommon in the United States; Barney was black and Betty was white.[6]
The Hills are the grandparents of current UFC strawweight Angela Hill.[7]
UFO encounter[edit]
According to a variety of reports given by the Hills, the alleged UFO sighting happened about 10:30 p.m. September 19, 1961. The Hills were driving back to Portsmouth from a vacation in Niagara Falls and Montreal. Just south of Lancaster, New Hampshire, Betty claimed to have observed a bright point of light in the sky that moved from below the Moon and the planet Jupiter, upward to the west of the Moon. While Barney navigated U.S. Route 3, Betty reasoned that she was observing a falling star, only it moved upward.[8] Because it moved erratically and grew bigger and brighter, Betty urged Barney to stop the car for a closer look, as well as to walk their dog, Delsey. Barney stopped at a scenic picnic area just south of Twin Mountain.[9]
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