What is the Mothman?
The Mothman is a cryptid sighted around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in 1966 and 1967. It was described as a human-like figure about two meters tall with large wings and glowing red eyes. The name “Mothman” was coined by newspapers at the time.
Sightings and the bridge collapse
In November 1966, young people driving at night reported to the police that a huge winged creature had chased their car, causing a sensation. More sightings followed, and then in December 1967 the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River near the town collapsed, killing 46 people. Sightings are said to have stopped after that, and people began to speak of the Mothman as a being that had foretold the disaster.
What was the Mothman really?
The most likely explanation is that witnesses mistook a large bird, such as a big owl or a sandhill crane, for something else. A book about the events by journalist John Keel was made into the film The Mothman Prophecies in 2002. Today a silver Mothman statue stands in Point Pleasant, and a Mothman Festival is held there every year.
