A 780 ft (240 m) crop circle composed
of 409 circles. Milk Hill , England
Twenty-six countries reported approximately ten thousand crop circle formations in the last third of the 20th century. Ninety percent of those were located in southern England Stonehenge .
One of the first reports was in Lyon, France in 815 AD, yet another event recorded an image resembling a crop circle was first discovered all the way back in 1678 in England, naturally, and was called then called the Mowing-Devil. The image depicts the “Devil” with a scythe (like the cutting tool carried by the Grim Reaper) cutting a circular design in a field of oats.
Crop circles gained wide spread public attention in the late 1970s as many circles began appearing throughout the English countryside and beyond. Currently, nearly 10,000 crop circles have been reported worldwide, including but not limited to such places as the former USSR , the UK , Japan , the U.S. and Canada
Farmers have routinely expressed concern for the damage to their crops and local media response to the appearance of crop circles is often enthusiastic. Local residents sometimes take advantage of an increase in tourism or just visits from scientists, researchers, or individuals who are seeking spiritual experiences. Free-market commerce resulting for crop-circles have in fact become quite the cottage industry by stimulating businesses such as bus or helicopter tours of circle sites, walking tours, T-shirts and book sales.
The last 10 years has witnessed crop formations / circles with increased size and intricacy of form, some featuring as many as 2000 different shapes, as well as often incorporating complex mathematical and scientific characteristics.
In 1991, two self-professed English pranksters Doug Bower and Dave Chorley made headlines claiming they started the phenomenon in 1978 with the use of simple tools consisting of a plank of wood and a rope. They claimed to have been inspired by Australian crop circle accounts from 1966; Doug and Dave further testified to have made more than 200 crop circles from 1978–1991 and insisted that they were responsible for most if not all circles made prior to 1987, a least in England
Although acceptance of their story is currently offered to explain all such events, crop circle researchers remain skeptical of many of their claims. Since their disclosure, crop formations / circles have continued to appear every year, often in greater number, size, and complexity.
These occurrences continue to be an unsolved mystery with blame including man made pranks or even advertisements of a sort, to freak weather patterns, the paranormal (including aliens and magic) or even animal activity. I expect it is yet another case of who-dun-it that may never be solved.
I think the crop circles are cool to look at. The designs can get pretty involved. I don't believe in aliens or magic, but it's hard to imagine how much time and effort somebody has to spend developing and making these crop circles. Most of it has to be done in the dark too, which should make it much harder.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe in “magic” either but it is more difficult for me to not to believe in aliens when these things show up … Unless we consider visitors from our future. … That concept is just as believable to me as some professor playing in the dark with a short rope and a flat board!
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