On this day: March 4

/on/march-4

Year unknown • neutral • 33 views

First Widely Publicized UFO Abduction Claim Draws National Attention

Archive-style newsroom scene: 1950s–1960s era reporters and a typewriter-strewn desk surrounded by stacks of newspapers headlined with UFO coverage; no identifiable faces.

On March 4 (year disputed), a widely publicized claim of extraterrestrial abduction reached national audiences, sparking intense media coverage, public debate, and the emergence of abduction narratives in popular culture.

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1966 • neutral • 40 views

First widely publicized UFO abduction claim captures national attention

1950s–1960s small-town roadway at dusk with a parked car under a low sky; empty streetlights and a distant low-flying silvery object implied by glow in sky.

On March 4, 1966, a reported close encounter and alleged abduction in the United States drew national media coverage, marking one of the first times an individual’s claim of extraterrestrial abduction entered mainstream public discourse.

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1919 • neutral • 34 views

1919: First recorded U.S. outbreak of foodborne botulism from improperly canned ham

Early 20th-century kitchen scene with glass canning jars and a boiled ham on a table, simple wood stove and period utensils, showing a home food-preservation setting typical of 1910s America.

On March 4, 1919, physicians in the United States identified the first documented outbreak of foodborne botulism linked to home-canned ham, marking an early recognition of Clostridium botulinum’s role in paralytic food poisoning.

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Year unknown • neutral • 28 views

1919: First Recorded U.S. Outbreak of Foodborne Botulism Linked to Improperly Canned Ham

Early 20th-century kitchen scene showing a wooden table with glass jars and a metal pressure cooker used for preserving food; period-appropriate clothing and simple kitchen interior, no identifiable faces.

In March 1919 U.S. public health authorities documented what is considered the first recorded foodborne botulism outbreak in the United States, associated with improperly canned ham that produced paralytic illness among consumers.

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