In 1976 a fragment weighing about 1.2 kilograms was found on the bank of the Vashka in Komi, which threw off a shower of sparks when struck. It was analysed at several Soviet institutes: an alloy of rare-earth elements — cerium, lanthanum, neodymium — with a trace of uranium, unusually pure and with a grain structure characteristic of powder metallurgy. The conclusions diverged. Some researchers wrote that industry of the day did not produce such a composition; others pointed to mischmetal, an alloy used in pyrotechnics and in lighter flints. The samples were dispersed among laboratories and no whole fragment now belongs to anybody. The find site is an ordinary stretch of taiga river with nothing to see.

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O'Hare and the Hole in the Cloud

On 7 November 2006 a group of United Airlines staff at Gate C17 at Chicago O'Hare — mechanics, a supervisor, ramp crew — saw a dark disc hanging motionless above the terminal under a solid overcast. By their account it went up so sharply that it punched a round hole in the cloud, through which blue sky was visible for a couple of minutes. United and the Federal Aviation Administration at first denied receiving any report. After a Freedom of Information request from the Chicago Tribune, a recording surfaced of a controller discussing the sighting with a supervisor. The official explanation is a weather phenomenon. No flights were held, and no investigation followed.