The Betz Sphere

March 27th, 1974.

Antoine, Jerri and Terry Betz were investigating a small brush fire near their house in Fort George Island, Florida when they come across a small metal sphere about the size of a bowling ball. The family initially identified it as a cannonball left behind from New World conquistadors, however they soon found that it exhibited several strange properties.  

Terry observed that it began to make a strange thrumming as he played his guitar. He soon began experimenting with the sphere and found it would make a ringing sound when struck with a hammer. In addition, the sphere was able to move on its own and even stop and change direction. The sphere would seemingly follow people around throughout the house. This lead to the Betz family storing the sphere in a trunk, only to bring it out to show guests. 

High frequency waves were reported to come from within the ball and noticed by the family poodle. The sphere would also appear to be more active on sunny days as opposed to overcast days. 

The public along with the media began to flock to the Betz farm to see the sphere

Although no one was able to get to the bottom of what exactly the Betz family had found. Even after an examination by the US military, no evidence of manufacturer or function could be found. X-rays of the sphere also turned up inconclusive. 

The sphere eventually gained the attention of renowned astronomer and ufologist, Doctor Allen Hynek. He requested that the Betz send him the sphere to examine, however the Betz family refused siting mistrust of public carrier services and feared that they would never get the sphere back. 

In April, Dr. Carl Willson of the Omega Minus One research firm in Louisiana visited the family to investigate the ball. Willson spent 6 hours investigating the ball was able to confirm the presence of radio waves. In addition, he also discovered the existence of a magnetic field around it. Dr. Willson described the sphere as a “mind bender.” 

There have been several theories for what the sphere may be. Despite both the Marines and the Navy denying ownership of the object, many believe that the sphere is some form of sea bottom marker. Similar to those used by submarines in ballistics calculations. Another theory states that the sphere may simply be a check valve used in machinery. However it seems odd that military examinations were unable to confirm such a simple theory. 

Of course, along with any mystery, there are many fringe theories as to what the Betz family found. Many of the spheres of behaviors have caused some to attribute them to WWII “Foo Fighters”, mysterious objects reported to toy with and follow planes. The final and more grim theory is that the Betz Sphere is actually a dooms day or potentially an alien doomsday device capable of destroying all life on earth. 

The media sensation around the Betz Sphere died off soon after no one was able to uncover its mysterious origins. Although some theories point towards the ball being taken back into possession by the military, the Betz Sphere is presumed lost.

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