In 1896 and 1897, hundreds of western American newspapers reported mass sightings of fantastic, winged airships performing maneuvers years ahead of the technology of the time. In some cases, the airships landed,  and their pilots talked to witnesses. Most Americans assumed a secret inventor would soon take credit for the sightings,  but no one who did so could prove ownership of a functional flying machine. The “mystery airships” remain unidentified, constituting an early wave of UFOs before flying saucers, and almost before flight itself.