The Original Alien Abduction | Betty and Barney Hill

Who were Betty and Barney Hill?

Betty and Barney Hill were an American couple that lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Barney was an employee of the US Postal Service, and Betty was a social worker. They were an inter-racial couple, which at the time was uncommon in America. Their experience in 1961 was the first alien abduction to be publicised.

The Night of the Abduction

It happened on September 19th 1961 at around 10:30pm. The couple were travelling home from their trip to Niagra Falls and Montreal in Canada.

Niagra Falls. Image credit: Saffron Blaze Photography

While they were driving on the US Route 3 they saw a bright light. Betty said she thought it was a shooting star before realising it was moving oddly. As it moved closer to the car they decided to pull over to get a closer look at it. Betty used a pair of binoculars and saw that it was an "oddly shaped craft" with many lights. She also described the craft as 60 ft long, round, and it appeared to rotate constantly. 

Barney looked through the window of the craft using the binoculars and saw 8-11 humanoids in black uniforms and hats. This made him go into a blind panic and he wanted to get out of there right away. He thought they were going to be captured, so they got back into their car and drove away. 

They both reported hearing a rhythmic sound that they believed was following their car. They also said they experienced their senses dulling and a weird tingling sensation through their bodies.

When they regained consciousness they realised they had travelled 35 miles and had little to no memory of it. When they got home they also noticed it had taken them a lot longer than it should have.

They both experienced strange impulses like taking long showers to wash off the residue, even though they were not sure what happened.  They also noticed some of their belongings were different to how they remembered. Such as the strap on their binoculars had snapped, their watches never worked again, and odd shapes were found on the roof of their car similar to crop circles.

Betty reported their encounter on September 21st and had an interview with Major Paul Henderson. After their interview with Henderson, they were not believed and told they possibly misidentified the planet Jupiter.

Their Hypnosis Sessions

Betty started to read books about UFO's and had dreams about the encounter. Barney stated he believed he had some sort of mental block stopping him from remembering what happened that night. So the couple decided to try hypnosis to remember what happened. 

They started their sessions in January 1964 with Benjamin Simon, and they were both hypnotised separately. Barney went first, and to avoid them overhearing or discussing their memories he would reinstate their amnesia after each session.

Barney's Sessions

Barney went in first and he remembered that his binocular strap was broken when they were running back to their car. He also remembered having the urge to drive into the forest where they were met by 6 men. They told Barney not to fear them. He described them as resembling a human with black hair, grey skin, dark eyes and bluish lips. He also said they communicated mainly using telepathy.

He remembered being taken into the ship with Betty and then being separated. He was then laid on a table but kept his eye closed the whole time he was examined. He felt them examine his genitals, skin, eyes, ears and mouth. He also described them inserting a cylindrical object into his anus and then removing it quickly.

At the end of the examination, he remembered being escorted off the craft and being taken back to their car. There they both watched the ship as it left.

Betty's Sessions

When Betty had her session she became very emotional so it had to be ended. However, when Betty was able to complete the session she recalled being walked through the forest by 2 men. She remembered that Barney followed them but he was in a trance-like state. 

Once they entered the ship they were separated and that was when she was examined. They told her it was to see the differences between their kind and humans.

They examined her eyes, ears, mouth, teeth, and hands. They also took a strand of hair and fingernail clippings. When they were done she also remembered being escorted out of the ship and watching them leave.

Even after their sessions, they were not believed. However, they helped them both come to terms with what happened to them and accept their experience. Barney didn't embrace it like Betty did, but they began opening up and discussing it with family and friends.

Betty claimed she saw UFO's several times since her experience. She also became a well-renowned figure within the UFO community until her death in October 2004. Barney passed away February 1969 at 46 years of age of a cerebral haemorrhage. 

Refutations

Many people believe there are other explanations for what the Hills saw that night, and that they never encountered any aliens.

One theory is that the couple was experiencing hallucinations caused by stress as an inter-racial couple. Betty said this was untrue as they were a happy couple. 

There were also suggestions that Barney may have been influenced by an episode on a TV show called The Outer Limits, The Bellero Shield. When asked about this Betty said she had never heard of it.

Lastly locals to the area the abduction happened say there is an aircraft beacon that appeared and disappeared at the times the Hills say they saw the ship.

Final Thoughts

I am on the fence. I believe there must be life out there, but I don't know what I think of alien abductions. What are your thoughts on aliens and alien abductions? Do you believe they happen? Please share your thoughts below!