Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first publicized sighting of the infamous Mothman entity in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, sparking a mystery that continues to this day.
The remarkable event saw two young couples encounter a mysterious 'creature' that sported glowing red eyes and appeared to possess enormous wings.
Newspaper coverage of their tale set off a firestorm in the community as numerous other witnesses began to report seeing the strange figure which earned the dubious name 'Mothman' from the local media.
The year-long flap of Mothman sightings culminated, some believe, with the collapse of the Silver Bridge in December of 1967 at which point the entity was allegedly never seen in the area again.
As students of the paranormal are well aware, the saga gained notoriety in esoteric circles thanks to the work of legendary writer John Keel and his book The Mothman Prophecies.
In turn, the Mothman mystery spawned a myriad of books, TV specials, documentaries, and even a feature film.
And, since the turn of the century, the town of Point Pleasant has begun to embrace its place in paranormal history with an annual 'Mothman festival' to celebrate the strange events that put the town on the map.
Theories as to what the Mothman may have been run the gamut of possibilities, including an angel, a demon, an alien, or some other kind of supernatural entity and, for the skeptics, mass hysteria or a large bird.
In honor of the Mothman's 50th birthday, Coast Insiders can check out the 2/14/2005 edition of the program featuring Loren Coleman discussing the 'Mothman curse' and the 5/24/2015 program with researcher Bill Grabowski talking Keel's role in reporting the case.
Not a Coast Insider yet? Sign up today.
Artwork courtesy of Coast listener Aaron N.