8 Famous Paranormal Photographs Debunked

5. The Battle Of Los Angeles

To be fair, something definitely did happen in the skies above Los Angeles on the 24th February, 1942, but exactly what is still the subject of much debate.

Late that night, something was spotted flying over LA, and the order was given to launch as many anti-aircraft projectiles the military could lay their hands on.

The incident occurred just three months after the US entered WWII, shortly after the Pearl Harbour attacks, and the entire country was consumed by "invasion jitters". Because of this, it is generally thought that a weather balloon was mistaken for an enemy aircraft and, to make matters worse, anti-aircraft burst were caught in the searchlights and mistaken for yet more planes. Officials weren't taking any chances and lit the place up.

There are some people, however, who aren't satisfied with this story. Whilst it's perhaps plausible that this really was an enemy attack (although the lack of publicity over the American "victory" would suggest otherwise), there are many that think that whole story is a UFO coverup.

The iconic photograph that was printed in the press appears to show a large, saucer-like object. Unfortunately for the Ufologists, it was common practice to retouch photographs before they went to print. The image was brightened, beams of light added and the "saucer" shape in the centre was sharpened and emphasized, with various flecks of lens flare being interpreted as part of the object.