The record of mysterious aerial sightings reaches back to the dawn of written history. The oldest accounts come to us as legends. For instance, a venerable Chinese tale speaks of a far-off "land of flying carts" inhabited by one-armed, three-eyed people riding winged chariots with gilded wheels. The Drona Parva, a Sanskrit text, describes aerial dogfights among gods piloting flying machines called vimanas. During the battles, according to one translation, a "blazing missle possessed of the radiance of smokeless fire was discharged." Such reports are not confined to Eastern lore, however. Some students of UFO history, such as it is, claim that the most impressive UFO stories are found in the Bible.

This engraving shows the prophet Ezekiel's UFO-like vision; four winged creatures and their four-wheeled vehicle.

When he was thirty years old , in about 539 B.C.E. , Ezekiel had an extraordinary vision: "As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the North, and a great cloud, with brightness round about it, and fire flashing forth continually . And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures."

Their appears to be a disk shaped object hovering in the background of this Renaissance painting of the Madonna and child. Notice the man looking up at the disk.

Note: The word "giant" is not necessarily a literal reference of size, but instead appears to infer "superiority".

Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Numbers 13:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Deuteronomy 2:11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.

Deuteronomy 2:20-21 That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims; A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:

Deuteronomy 3:11-13 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites. And the rest of Gilead, and all Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.

Deuteronomy 9:2 A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!

Joshua 12:4 And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

Joshua 13:12 All the kingdom of Og in Bashan, which reigned in Ashtaroth and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for these did Moses smite, and cast them out.

Joshua 15:8 And the border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:

Joshua 17:15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.

Joshua 18:16-17 And the border came down to the end of the mountain that lieth before the valley of the son of Hinnom, and which is in the valley of the giants on the north, and descended to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of Jebusi on the south, and descended to Enrogel, And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enshemesh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which is over against the going up of Adummim, and descended to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben,

2 Samual 21:20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

1 Chronicles 20:6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant.

Those who reject legends or the Bible as valid UFO sources can still find possibilities in historical records. Let's take a look at some UFO's through the ages.