Stanton T. Friedman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanton T. Friedman
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Friedman in 2019
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Stanton Terry Friedman
29 July 1934 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | 13 May 2019 (aged 84) |
| Education | University of Chicago (M.S.) |
| Occupation | Ufologist, physicist |
| Known for | Roswell UFO incident |
Stanton Terry Friedman (born July 29, 1934 – died May 13, 2019) was an American scientist who studied nuclear physics. He also became a well-known expert on unidentified flying objects (UFOs), living in New Brunswick, Canada. He was the first person outside the military to investigate the famous Roswell UFO incident.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Stanton Friedman was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He grew up in a nearby town called Linden. After finishing high school in 1951, he went to Rutgers University.
He later transferred to the University of Chicago. There, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1955. The next year, in 1956, he received a master's degree in nuclear physics.
Working as a Nuclear Physicist
For 14 years, Friedman worked as a nuclear physicist. He worked for several big companies. His projects included advanced, secret programs. These programs involved nuclear aircraft, special rockets, and small nuclear power plants for space.
UFO Research and Beliefs
In 1970, Stanton Friedman decided to focus full-time on studying unidentified flying objects (UFOs). He traveled a lot, giving talks at over 600 colleges. He also spoke to more than 100 professional groups in many countries.
He wrote over 80 papers about UFOs. He appeared on many radio and TV shows. He even shared his knowledge with the United States Congress and the United Nations.
Friedman liked to use the term "flying saucer". He believed that while all flying saucers are UFOs, not all UFOs are flying saucers. He was especially interested in the ones that looked like saucers. He often called himself "The Flying Saucer Physicist". This was because of his degrees in nuclear physics and his work on nuclear projects.
Friedman's Ideas About UFOs
Stanton Friedman was the first person outside the government to investigate the Roswell UFO incident. He strongly believed that a real spacecraft from another planet had crashed there. In 1968, he told a government committee that there was evidence Earth was being visited by vehicles controlled by intelligent beings from space.
He also thought that UFO sightings matched how a special type of engine, called magnetohydrodynamic propulsion, might work.
In 1996, Friedman looked into some documents known as the Majestic 12 papers. He said there was no good reason to think they were fake. These papers claimed to be secret government files about UFOs.
In 2004, Friedman had a debate on a radio show with Seth Shostak. Shostak is an astronomer who also believes in alien life. However, unlike Friedman, Shostak did not believe that aliens were visiting Earth or were connected to UFO sightings.
Friedman thought that UFOs might come from stars similar to our sun that are not too far away. He often used a star map drawn by Betty Hill as proof. Betty Hill claimed she was shown this map during an alien abduction in 1964. An astronomer named Marjorie Fish created a 3D map of nearby stars. She said it matched Betty Hill's map when viewed from Zeta Reticuli, a star system about 39 light-years away.
Views on SETI Research
Friedman had strong opinions against the SETI program. SETI tries to find alien life by listening for signals from space. Friedman argued that SETI wrongly assumed that aliens had not already visited Earth. He believed SETI was only looking for signals, not for actual alien beings.
He felt that the popularity of SETI researchers stopped serious study of UFOs. He was a classmate of Carl Sagan, a famous scientist who supported SETI. Friedman criticized Sagan for ignoring evidence, like the "unknowns" from a study called Project Blue Book Special Report No. 14. Friedman said this report showed that clearer UFO sightings were more likely to remain "unknowns." This meant they couldn't be easily explained.
Public and Scientific Views on UFOs
Friedman often said that most people and even some scientists believed UFOs exist. He used surveys to support his point:
- Gallup Polls between 1966 and 1987 asked people if UFOs were real or just imagination. Most people (60-68%) thought they were real.
- A poll of scientists in 1971 and 1979 showed that 64% to 69% believed UFOs probably or definitely exist. Of these, many thought they came from Outer Space.
- Another survey of astronomers found that the more time someone spent reading about UFOs, the more likely they were to believe UFOs are real.
Personal Life
Stanton Friedman was Ashkenazi Jewish. He was married twice. With his first wife, Susie Virginia Porter, he adopted three children. They divorced in 1974. He had one daughter with his second wife, Marilyn. In the early 1980s, Friedman moved to Marilyn's hometown of Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Stanton Friedman passed away on May 13, 2019. He died from a heart attack at the Toronto Pearson Airport.
Media
Books by Stanton Friedman
- Flying Saucers & Science, June 2008
- Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience. (Co-author Kathleen Marden), 2007
- Top Secret/MAJIC, 2005
- Crash at Corona: The Definitive Story of The Roswell Incident. (Co-author Don Berliner), 1997
- Science was Wrong: Startling truths about cures, theories, and inventions "They" declared impossible. (Co-author Kathleen Marden), 2010
- Fact, Fiction, and Flying Saucers. (Co-author Kathleen Marden), 2016
Videos and CDs
- UFOs: Stanton Friedman's revelation (video interview)
- Flying Saucers Are Real (VHS, 1996)
- UFO Secret MJ-12 (DVD, 2006)
- Recollections of Roswell (DVD)
- Are Flying Saucers Real? (VHS, 2004)
- UFOs Are Real (VHS, 1979)
- UFOs: The Real Story (CD, 1996)
See also
In Spanish: Stanton T. Friedman para niños
