Rhodes UFO photographs facts for kids
The Rhodes UFO photos, sometimes called the shoe-heel UFO photos, refers to two photos that were reportedly taken on July 7, 1947 by William A. Rhodes. The photographs purported to show a disc-like object flying above Phoenix, Arizona. Rhodes's account and photographs were published by the Arizona Republic on July 9.
Background
William Albert Rhodes was born in Garden City, Kansas on December 29, 1916 to George E. and Bertha G. Rhodes. Rhodes graduated from Georgetown and was awarded an honorary science doctorate by Columbia University. In 1929, he moved from Fort Collins, Colorado, where he studied music, to Phoenix, Arizona. In 1935, he was sued for divorce by Bertha Rivers. In 1936, Rhodes attended a meeting of the Society for Research of Meteorites. In 1939, he married Doris Fern Browning; At that time, he was a musician known professionally as "Wee Willie" and an instructor at the Institute of Educational Music. In 1940, Rhodes was profiled in by the Arizona Republic after he created a radio-controlled model plane. In 1941, Rhodes was profiled after he spent four months constructing a telescope. In 1949, Rhodes authored a letter to the editor over a matter involving the city's garbage dumps.
Disc photographs
On July 9, 1947, the Arizona Republic front page featured the photographs along the headline "Mystery 'Whatsis' Photographed over Phoenix". Also pictured was Rhodes posing with camera.
The accompanying news article recounted that Rhodes was walking to his home workshop when he heard a heard "whoosh" he believed to be from a P-80 jet propelled plane. Grabbing a camera, Rhodes snapped two photos. Rhodes noted that after the initial "whoosh", the object was completely silent. Rhodes claimed that the object made three passes over his home and left two trails of vapor.
The Republic characterized the object depicted in the photographs as "the shape of a heel of a shoe, with a small hole in the center". Rhodes was described as an amateur radio operator and a model airplane manufacturer who was lauded in the model aircraft community for advances in radio controlled model aircraft.
Investigation
On July 8, the FBI obtained copies of the photographs from the editors of the Arizona Republic. On August 9, Rhodes was interviewed by Special Agent Brower of the FBI and George Fugate, Jr. of the Army's Counter Intelligence Corps at Hamilton Field. Rhodes gave the men photographs and negatives.
In early 1948, Rhodes was invited to travel to Dayton, Ohio to meet with members of Air Material Command. After Rhodes was forced to decline the invitation, two Air Material officers visited Rhodes in Phoenix.
Files released online in 2015 detailed the official investigation into Rhodes and his photographs.
Reactions
In Spring 1948, the inaugural issue of Fate Magazine featured a story on the Rhodes photographs, reprinting the photographs and text from the Arizona Republic. Editor Raymond Palmer questioned whether the pictures had been censored: "Here was proof positive that these objects were not just 'spots before the eyes', but actually flying disks of an aeronautical design unrecognizable by experts. Those pictures never reached any other newspapers! Why? The were the hottest news in the world on July 9. ... Was it because the flying disks were a military secret?"
The Shaver Mystery fanzine cited Rhodes's experience as evidence for the claims of Richard Sharpe Shaver, reprinting the Fate Magazine piece.
Drawings of the Rhodes photos were reportedly shared with Kenneth Arnold by AAF officers Brown and Davidson during their investigation into the Maury Island Incident. In his 1952 book The Coming of the Saucers, Arnold claimed that Brown and Davidson told him they considered the pictures "to be authentic."
In 1952, the Arizona Republic published an account from a reporter who claimed to have seen a flying disc in 1947 near White Sands – that witness reported "Later, after moving to Phoenix, I was startled to see the tremendous likeness between what I had seen and the object photographed by William A. Rhodes." The report noted that the prints and negatives were given to federal agents and never returned.
In 1958, Raymond Palmer again reprinted the photos and story, this time in Flying Saucers magazine. Palmer claimed that "All the copies of this paper were seized by the army, in a house-to-house canvass and all plates from the newspaper, plus the photo negatives and prints". The Republic debunked this claim, explaining no such seizure occurred and that in 1947, circulation of the three editions of July 9 had totaled 64,000 copies. The paper explained that Rhodes had voluntarily turned over pictures to government authorities. In 1967, historian Ted Bloecher debunked Palmer's claim as "completely without any basis in fact".
Aftermath
In 1949, Rhodes was visited by a friend and colleague, inventor Lee de Forest; The visit was the subject of an article in the Arizona Republic.
In 1950, Rhodes again photographed an unidentified object, this time through a high-powered telescope. In 1951, Rhodes constructed a 16-inch portable telescope which was featured in the local paper. In October 1951, Rhodes reported the theft of a lethal load of radium-bromide from his home laboratory; The lead-lined container, still holding the radium, was discovered the following day.
In 1952, Rhodes was mentioned in the magazine Popular Mechanics for his recent invention of an TV light amplifier. In 1952, Rhodes was featured in Newsweek magazine for this TV work.
In July 1952, Rhodes again featured in the Republic which described him as an "amateur astronomer and professional electronics engineer"; Rhodes and fellow amateur astronomer Harry E. Lang speculated that saucer reports might be linked to the proximity of the planet Mars. In 1955, he participated in an exhibition of solar-powered machines; Rhodes constructed a device which used solar power to create hydraulic pressure. In 1956, Rhodes and others formed the "Institute for Advanced Research".
In 1958, Rhodes authored a letter to the editor, objecting to a recent high court ruling against individuals practicing architecture without a license; Rhodes argued that "police powers of this state are being used to protect the vaunted who who, like most of us human beings, dislike competition." Also in 1950, Rhodes was profiled after building a bomb shelter.
In 1957, Rhodes again was consulted by the Arizona Republic, where he debunked a recent unidentified sightings – Rhodes explained the object was a first magnitude star.
In 1959, Rhodes authored a tribute to his recently deceased wife Maxine. In August, he authored a letter comparing Socialism and Communism. In 1959, Rhodes married Eileen Tremble Baker.
In 1960, Rhodes helped the Republic work out schedules for when the US satellite Echo 1 would be visible from Phoenix. In 1960, after local skywatchers reported an unidentified light, Rhodes explained that the object, which he viewed through his telescope, appeared to be a Sabre jet. In 1961, Rhodes helped develop a heat detection device for local firefighters. In 1962, Rhodes applied for (and later received) a patent for an invention concerning the electrolytic production of oxyhydrogen – initially called "Rhodes' Gas" and later "Brown's Gas".
In 1980, he married Nancy Virginia Ross, they remained married until his death. William Albert Rhodes died on January 22, 2007.
The Rhodes photos continued to be discussed by UFO enthusiasts into the 21st century.
