10/10/2026
On October 11, 1973, shipyard workers Charles Hickson and Calvin Parker were fishing along the Pascagoula River near an abandoned shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi. After dark, they saw a strange blue light and an oval-shaped craft hovering nearby. An opening appeared, revealing an intensely bright interior.
Three strange beings glided out. Hickson described them as grey and deeply wrinkled, with almost no neck, pointed protrusions around the head, and long arms ending in claw-like hands. Two grabbed Hickson while a third approached Parker. Hickson said he became numb and unable to move as he was lifted aboard. Parker initially said he fainted or lost awareness, though decades later he described more of what he believed happened inside.
Hickson recalled being immobilized in a brilliantly lit room while an eye-like device moved close to his face and scanned his body. Terrified and helpless, he said he felt little or no pain. The beings eventually returned both men to the riverbank after about 15 to 20 minutes. Hickson struggled to stand, while Parker appeared in shock and barely responsive with his arms extended. The craft then departed.
That night, the men contacted the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Officers questioned them separately and secretly recorded them after leaving them alone together. The tape captured two frightened men continuing to discuss the encounter as though they believed it had happened.
The story quickly became national news. Within 36 hours, astronomer Dr. J. Allen Hynek was in Pascagoula investigating the case and interviewing both men. He publicly stated that they had undergone a genuinely terrifying experience.
Hickson later spoke openly about the encounter through television, radio, conventions, interviews, and a co-authored book. Parker largely stayed out of the public eye for about 40 years before later telling his story in greater detail. Researcher and publisher Philip Mantle has played an important role in preserving and expanding the case record through interviews, archival research, republication of earlier material, and his work with Parker.
