WHALE STRANDINGS IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

How two different eras of the media handled meteors. One in 1956, the other in 1988. One used science the other used not so much science. Both cases were fireballs caused by meteors creating a highly charged atmosphere.

Case 1. Victoria, Australia, 1956

The amazed farmer saw 'Flame' from the sky "Fireballs" bombarded two farmers, three boys, and 500 sheep at Kilmore yesterday. After the fireballs exploded about 11 a.m., they left a trail of fine blue dust covering the ground about a quarter of a mile from the property of Mr. Vic Lowden. Mr. Lowden, his two sons, Doug,13, and Jimmy, 9; a neighbor, Mr. Albert Smith, and his son, Howard, 8, took several hours to scrub off the dust. The fireball, which made a display lasting half an hour, surrounded the sheep, until they bolted. The fireballs fell in fine weather, but rain followed in the afternoon. The Weather Bureau said last night "fireballs" were possible at any time, particularly during and after thunder – storms. They mainly resulted from the clash of falling meteors.

Case 2. South Australia, 1988

UFO encounter on Nullarbor Plain reported ADELAIDE: A Perth family say they were terrorised by a UFO which plucked their car from the road on the Nullarbor Plain. Police said yesterday that they were taking the report seriously after investigating damage to the car, which was covered in an ash-type substance. A truck driver and a car driver also witnessed the bizarre event after being chased by the UFO along the Eyre Highway just inside the Western Australia border. Mrs Faye Knowles and her three sons, Patrick, 24, Sean, 21, and Wayne, 18, were about 40km west of Mundrabilla driving toward South Austra-lia when they first saw the glowing object about 2.45am yesterday. They told police they had watched as it chased the truck and car, which were travelling in the opposite direction, before turning and landing on their own vehicle. "It apparently picked the car up off the road, shook it quite violently and forced the car back down on the road with such pressure that one of the tyres was blown," 11 a police spokesman said. "While this was happening the family said their voices were distorted and it was as if they were talking in slow motion." Mrs Knowles told police the UFO turned the car around and placed it back on the road facing in the opposite direction. Once they were back on the road they had jumped out and fled into the bush where they hid for some time before going back and changing the wheel. They drove to Ceduna in the far west of South Australia and reported the incident to local police. By chance, crime scene investigators from Port Lincoln were in Ceduna and examined the car. "We have to take it seriously, there's no reason why we shouldn't," Sergeant Fred Longley, of Ce-duna police, said. "There were too many witnesses for us not to. "The car was damaged and was covered in ash from the object and they were clearly shaken up." Sergeant Longley said the Knowles drew a diagram of the UFO which looked like an egg in an egg cup.