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J. Allen Hynek

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Astronomer

The Resume

    (May 1, 1910-April 27, 1986)
    Born in Chicago, Illinois
    Birth name was Josef Allen Hynek
    Astronomer and ufologist
    Scientific advisor for the US Air Force's UFO studies (1949-69)
    Wrote 'The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry' (1972) and 'The Hynek UFO Report' (1977)
    Founded the Center for UFO Studies (1973)

Why he might be annoying:

    He initially dismissed UFOs as 'a fad that would soon pass,' but ended up spending the rest of his life studying them.
    He said, 'I stretched far to give something a natural explanation, sometimes when it may not have really had it.'
    He popularized 'swamp gas' as a dismissive explanation for UFOs when he suggested it may have been responsible for sightings in Michigan (1966).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He helped develop a radio proximity fuse for the Navy during WWII.
    He popularized the phrase 'close encounter' and was a consultant for (and made a cameo appearance in) Stephen Spielberg's 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind.'
    He said, 'Ridicule is not part of the scientific method, and people should not be taught that it is.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 7 Votes: 57.14% Annoying