Topic

Less Than Credible

Stories that are not fully documented or proven, but are hard to dismiss because of physical marks, measurements or official reactions. Each page says up top what is on record and what is not, then shows the evidence for and against.

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Marks on the body More from this topic

Files on this shelf (10)

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Rendlesham Forest and the Halt Memo DocumentedA US Air Force deputy base commander in Suffolk wrote an official memo to Britain's Ministry of Defence in 1981. It reports a metallic triangular…
The Dyatlov Pass incident Well supportedIn 1959 nine experienced hikers in Russia's Ural Mountains cut their way out of their tent at night and fled into deadly cold, and some were found…
Colares and Operation Saucer (Brazil, 1977) Almost credibleOn an island town in the Amazon, people said lights in the sky burned them and left puncture marks. Brazil's Air Force sent a team, which took…
The 'Hitler skull' in Moscow Almost credibleFor decades Russia displayed a piece of skull with a bullet hole as Adolf Hitler's, until a 2009 DNA test by American scientists said it came from a…
9/11 and the questions about Building 7 SpeculationA 47-story building near the Twin Towers fell late on 9/11 without being hit by a plane. Government engineers blame fire; critics say fire could not…
The Cash-Landrum incident (Texas, 1980) SpeculationTwo women and a boy said a fiery object escorted by helicopters hovered over their car. They fell ill, an Army inspector investigated, and they sued…
The Falcon Lake burns (Canada, 1967) SpeculationA prospector in Manitoba said a landed craft blasted him with hot gas. Hospital staff treated burns on his chest, and Canada's police, air force and…
The JFK police recording and the 'probable conspiracy' finding SpeculationIn 1979 a committee of Congress said President Kennedy was probably killed as a result of a conspiracy, based largely on a police radio recording…
The Villas Boas case (Brazil, 1957) SpeculationA 23-year-old Brazilian farmer said beings took him aboard a craft in 1957. A doctor who examined him months later wrote down scars and skin lesions…
Admiral Byrd, the polar flights and the 'hollow earth' diary Myth or legendRichard Byrd was a real polar flyer whose 1926 North Pole claim is now doubted, and a 'secret diary' says he flew into a hidden world inside the…

What does less than credible mean?

Less than credible is our shelf for stories that are not fully documented or proven but are hard to wave away. Some left marks on people's bodies that a doctor wrote down. Some come with measurements, official memos or lab tests. Some are big public events where people question the official findings. Every page says near the top what is on record and what is not, then lays out the evidence on both sides so you can judge it.

How people see it

Scholars

MeasuredInvestigators and scientists. Most of these cases have ordinary explanations or too little evidence to test, and official inquiries say so.

Alternative readings

ClaimWitnesses and researchers. The marks, readings and records are real and the official answers leave parts unexplained.

What gets a story on this shelf: Physical marks, measurements, lab tests or official reactions, but no full proof
What keeps it off the main shelves: One witness, missing records, or findings that experts reject
How each page starts: A plain line on what is documented and what is not

Speculation Each page is rated on its own. Most sit at Speculation or Almost credible. How we rate evidence

Start here

The Villas Boas case (Brazil, 1957) · A 23-year-old Brazilian farmer said beings took him aboard a craft in 1957. A doctor who examined him months…
9/11 and the questions about Building 7 · A 47-story building near the Twin Towers fell late on 9/11 without being hit by a plane. Government…
Colares and Operation Saucer (Brazil, 1977) · On an island town in the Amazon, people said lights in the sky burned them and left puncture marks. Brazil's…
The Falcon Lake burns (Canada, 1967) · A prospector in Manitoba said a landed craft blasted him with hot gas. Hospital staff treated burns on his…
The JFK police recording and the 'probable conspiracy' finding · In 1979 a committee of Congress said President Kennedy was probably killed as a result of a conspiracy…

Sources for this overview

UK Ministry of Defence UFO files (DEFE 24)UFO reports and papers kept by Britain's Ministry of Defence and released to the public through The National Archives from 2008 to 2013. File DEFE 24/1948 covers the 1980 Rendlesham Forest case, including Lt Col Charles Halt's memo about lights seen near an air base.UFO Files Highlights Guide (DEFE 24/1948 and DEFE 24/1970), The National Archives (UK), August 2009Primary text Archived copy, 2026-10-03
DOI link to a research paperA DOI is a permanent ID number for a published research paper or book. The link takes you to the paper on its publisher's website, even if that site moves. The paper itself is what we cite.P. Charlier and others, The remains of Adolf Hitler: A biomedical analysis and definitive identification, European Journal of Internal Medicine 54 (2018)Primary text
WikipediaA free online encyclopedia written and edited by volunteers. It is a good starting point and usually lists its own sources, but anyone can change it, so we treat it as a guide to better sources, not the final word.Antônio Vilas-Boas, WikipediaReference