The index page for the 1954 French flap section of this website is here.
Reference for this case: 2-jul-54-Vielmanay.
Please cite this reference in any correspondence with me regarding this case.
In his 1954 book on the French wave of 1954, author Jean Sider reported that on July 2, 1954, at noon, in Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis in the Nièvre, Justin Creux, grocer at Vielmanay, drove in a car. Arrived at the location called "Le Château", he was suddenly dazzled by an intense glow.
He then heard a bang and his windshield was shattered. He managed, with difficulty, to stop his vehicle.
Jean Sider indicated that his source is an article on page 2 and 4 of the newspaper Le Régional de Cosne for July 3, 1954.
[Ref. jsr1:] JEAN SIDER:
Jean Sider reports that on July 2, 1954, at midday in Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis in the department of the Nievre, Justin Creux, grocer in Vielmanay, was driving by car, when, at the lcoation "Le Château", he was suddenly dazzled by an intense gleam.
He then perceived a bang and his car's windshield exploded.
He managed, with difficulty, to stop its vehicle.
Jean Sider indicates that his source is an article on page 2 and 4 of the newspaper "Le Régional de Cosne" for July 3, 1954.
[Ref. jbu1:] JEROME BEAU:
1954
[...]
July 2
[...]
To the locality of Le Château (Nievre), Justin Creux, grocer of Vielmanay, drives by car. He is suddenly dazzled by an intense gleam. Then he perceives a detonation and his windshield flies in pieces. He nevertheless manages to stop his vehicle with difficulty. (Le Regional de Cosne, July 3, 1954, p. 2 and 4).
[Ref. lcn1:] LUC CHASTAN:
Luc Chastan indicates that in the "Nièvres" in Vielmanay on July 2, 1954 at an unknown hour, "At the locality Le Château, the witness drives by car. He is suddenly dazzled by an intense gleam. Then he perceives a detonation and his windshield falls in pieces. He nevertheless manages to stop his vehicle with difficulty."
La source est indiqué comme "RR0 ** http://www.rr0.org".
[Ref. ema1:] "LES EMANENTS, MESSAGERS DE LA NATURE" WEBSITE:
The southern region of France is subject to mysterious vibrations of unknown origins, other regions of France too, this phenomenon is known in other countries.
[... other cases...]
- On 07/02/1954 in Vielmanay in the Nièvre where the driver of a vehicle is surprised by an intense glow followed by a strong explosion that broke the windshield of his car.
[... other cases...]
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The windshield damage epidemic in 1954, called "windshield cancer" or "parebrisite" in France, has become an often-quoted example of "collective illusion" or "mass hysteria". Sociologists and psychologists refer to these incidents in France, in the United States, to ensure that "crowds" can easily fall for unfounded collective myths.
And of course, some "skeptical" ufologists explain that the "parebrisite" that preceded the wave of "flying saucers" of 1954 proves that the saucers too were only illusions.
None put forward the following point: "collective hysteria" here would in any case concern only the interpretation of the facts, not the facts themselves. And the interpretations were not really "hysterical", they were attempts at rationalization quite understandable and sensible in the context of the time.
All sorts of explanations were put forward at the time for the "windshield cancer": "vandals", faulty design, etc. In the United States, the police found that the epidemic hit mainly old cars, and it was thought that the windows would explode as a result of their wear.
This incident probably has nothing to do with extraterrestrials. One could then think of an explosion of the glass hit by a pebble from the road, for example. Or an effect of overheating - it was noon it July the car might have been in the shade before. The glow that dazzled the witness would be linked to the sudden fragmentation of the glass then reflecting the sunlight to his eyes. The detonation is not surprising either.
In the account given by Jean Sider, one gets the impression that the witness first saw a light, then heard a detonation, then his windshield exploded; as if successive events. But it is likely a pure fiction due to the narration, it is perfectly probable that all this happened at the same time.
(These keywords are only to help queries and are not implying anything.)
Vielmanay, Nièvre, Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis, Le Château, Justin Creux, grocer, car, road, light, dazzled, effects, sound
[----] indicates sources that are not yet available to me.
| Version: | Created/Changed by: | Date: | Change Description: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Patrick Gross | December 31, 2004 | First published. |
| 1.0 | Patrick Gross | December 25, 2009 | Conversion from HTML to XHTML Strict. First formal version. Addition [lcn1]. |
| 1.1 | Patrick Gross | July 2, 2019 | Additions [ema1], Summary. Explanations changed, were "Not looked for yet." |
