Paris, France: Luminous globe — 13 February 1821

People leaving a theatre observed a luminous globe in the air, which did not vanish until

daybreak. The translator notes sceptically that this comes from “a French publication, as an example of the superstitious opinions which even in our times prevail to a considerable degree, in an otherwise enlightened country.”

Source: Adams Sentinel (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania), May 2nd 1821. 402. Case: W354