Who invented aliens? We did. Each age invents its own. When we invented robots, aliens became robotic beings. In the Cold War, intergalactic peacemakers appear. Aliens came to abduct us in a decade when the news was full of kidnappings.

In this episode Dallas discovers when we first started to think about alien life and explores how our ideas about aliens have evolved over time. And we hear three stories of people who claimed to have met aliens.

His guide to alien lifeforms is Greg Eghigian, professor of history at Penn State university and author of an upcoming book about the phenomenon of UFO sightings and alien encounters.

Produced by Freddy Chick, edited by Aidan Lonergan, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

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