Within Testing Claims
Can the Mariana Film's Date Be Trusted?
Conflicting dates make it harder to match the Great Falls film with aircraft, weather and witness records.
On this page
- How the August 1950 dates became disputed
- What baseball schedules and contemporary records reveal
- Why uncertain timing limits aircraft and weather checks
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Introduction
The exact date of Nick Mariana’s famous Great Falls film may seem like a minor detail, but it has major consequences for how the footage is evaluated. The film itself is real and survives in archival collections. The problem is that investigators have not always agreed on precisely when it was taken. During later reviews of the case, researchers found conflicting references to early August and mid-August 1950, creating uncertainty that affects every attempt to compare the sighting with aircraft movements, weather conditions, military activity and witness records.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
Within Montana’s UFO history, this date dispute matters because the Mariana film is often treated as one of the state’s strongest pieces of physical evidence. If investigators cannot establish the timing with confidence, then some of the most important identification tests become less reliable. The issue is not whether Mariana filmed something; it is whether researchers can reconstruct the circumstances accurately enough to determine what that “something” might have been.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
Can the Mariana Film’s Date Be Trusted?
Most modern accounts place the filming at around 11:25–11:30 a.m. on 15 August 1950 at Legion Stadium in Great Falls, where Mariana, manager of the Great Falls Selectrics baseball club, and his secretary Virginia Raunig reported seeing two bright objects crossing the sky. Contemporary retellings, local histories and many later investigations repeat that date.[wikipedia.org]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
However, when the University of Colorado UFO study revisited the case in the 1960s, investigators discovered that the timing was not as straightforward as many assumed. Roy Craig and David Saunders found themselves dealing with conflicting information about whether the film had been shot on 5 August or 15 August 1950. The disagreement emerged decades after the event, when memories had faded and records had to be reconstructed from surviving documents.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
That uncertainty became important because the Great Falls film is already difficult to analyse. The objects appear only as bright images without enough detail to reveal their distance, size or shape conclusively. When image evidence is limited, contextual evidence becomes more valuable. A secure date would allow investigators to check other records; an uncertain date weakens those checks.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
How the August 1950 Dates Became Disputed
The date confusion appears to have grown from inconsistencies in later investigations rather than from the original publicity surrounding the sighting. Contemporary accounts generally pointed to mid-August, and newspaper coverage appeared immediately after the reported event. Yet later researchers encountered references that suggested an earlier August date, leading to questions about whether some records had been misremembered or misfiled.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
The dispute illustrates a common problem in historical UFO investigations. Researchers are often forced to compare:
- Witness recollections recorded years later.
- Newspaper reports written close to the event.
- Military files compiled during investigations.
- Secondary accounts produced decades afterwards.
When those sources disagree, even slightly, reconstructing a precise timeline becomes difficult. In the Mariana case, the disagreement was not about whether the filming occurred in August 1950, but about exactly which August day should be used as the foundation for further analysis.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
For a case that has been debated for more than seventy years, a ten-day discrepancy is significant. It changes which aircraft were present, which weather reports apply and which local events can be used to verify witness statements.
What Baseball Schedules and Contemporary Records Reveal
One reason many researchers continue to favour 15 August is that the baseball context aligns well with the traditional account. Mariana was inspecting Legion Stadium before a scheduled game, and numerous later summaries consistently place the event on that date. Local baseball histories and Great Falls sources have preserved the same chronology.[milb.com]milb.comgcs 350388At 11:25 am on August 15, Nick Mariana, the general manager of the Great Falls "Electrics" minor…Read more…
Baseball schedules matter because they provide an independent record that is separate from UFO testimony. If a witness claims to have been preparing for a particular game, historians can compare that statement against league schedules, newspaper sports pages and team records. Such documents are often more reliable than decades-old memories because they were created at the time. This is one of the standard ways investigators test historical UFO reports: they look for ordinary records that either support or contradict the claimed timeline.
In the Mariana case, the sporting context offers a valuable anchor. The fact that the witness was performing a routine job connected to a baseball club creates opportunities for cross-checking that do not exist in many UFO cases. Even so, the lingering disagreement over the exact day shows how easily uncertainty can survive when original documentation is incomplete or inconsistently cited.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
Why Uncertain Timing Limits Aircraft and Weather Checks
The most important consequence of the date dispute is practical. Many explanations proposed for the Mariana film depend on knowing exactly when it was recorded.
The US Air Force initially suggested that the objects were related to F-94 jet aircraft operating in the area. Later investigators questioned that conclusion, and some Air Force analysts eventually admitted that the aircraft explanation was not securely established. Yet testing any aircraft hypothesis requires precise timing. Researchers need to know which flights were airborne, where they were located and whether their position matched the filmed objects.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
The same problem affects weather analysis. Meteorological records can reveal cloud cover, visibility, wind direction and atmospheric conditions that might help explain unusual observations. But weather data are tied to specific dates and times. If investigators are uncertain whether they should be examining records from 5 August or 15 August, the evidential value of those comparisons decreases.
The issue extends beyond aircraft and weather:
- Military flight activity changes from day to day.
- Civil aviation traffic varies by schedule.
- Astronomical conditions change over time.
- Witness movements and routines may differ between dates.
A mistaken date can therefore make a plausible explanation appear impossible or make an impossible explanation appear plausible.
Why the Date Question Still Matters Today
The Mariana film remains one of Montana’s most discussed UFO cases because it combines a surviving motion-picture record with named witnesses and official investigations. Yet the date controversy demonstrates an important lesson about how UFO evidence is tested.
The strongest investigations do not focus only on what appears in a photograph or film frame. They also examine the surrounding facts: where the witness stood, what else was in the sky, what official records exist and whether the timeline can be verified independently. In the Great Falls case, uncertainty over the exact date limits the precision of those tests.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
That does not prove the objects were extraordinary, nor does it prove they were ordinary aircraft. Instead, it highlights why historical UFO investigations often remain unresolved. The surviving evidence may be genuine, but if crucial contextual details cannot be established with confidence, researchers are left with competing possibilities rather than definitive answers. For the Mariana film, the debate over a few August days continues to influence every serious attempt to identify what crossed the Great Falls sky in 1950.[Wikipedia]WikipediaMariana UFO filmMariana UFO film
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Books and field guides related to Can the Mariana Film's Date Be Trusted?. Use these as the next step if you want deeper reading beyond the article.
The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry
Focuses on evaluating sightings using evidence rather than assumption.
The Report on Unidentified Flying Objects
Places early 1950s sightings in their investigative context.
The Demon-Haunted World
Rating: 4.5/5 from 43 Google Books ratings
Provides critical-thinking tools for interpreting unexplained events.
The UFO Encyclopedia
Contains entries discussing the Great Falls/Mariana film and its history.
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Endnotes
1.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Mariana UFO film
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_UFO_film
2.
Source: krtv.com
Title: Unlike other UFO sightings at the time, Mariana captured
Link:https://www.krtv.com/news/great-falls-news/great-falls-voyagers-mark-the-anniversary-of-ufo-sighting-namesake-event
Source snippet
KRTV NEWS Great FallsGreat Falls Voyagers mark anniversary of 'UFO sighting...15 Aug 2023 — The team manager Nick Mariana saw two spinni...
3.
Source: krtv.com
Title: great falls ufo legacy in focus amid pentagon document release
Link:https://www.krtv.com/news/great-falls-news/great-falls-ufo-legacy-in-focus-amid-pentagon-document-release
4.
Source: distinctlymontana.com
Title: when ufos first came great falls
Link:https://www.distinctlymontana.com/when-ufos-first-came-great-falls
Source snippet
Distinctly MontanaWhen UFOs First Came to Great Falls23 Apr 2026 — By the morning of August 15, 1950, when a Great Falls softball manager...
Published: August 15, 1950
5.
Source: milb.com
Title: gcs 350388
Link:https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-350388
Source snippet
At 11:25 am on August 15, Nick Mariana, the general manager of the Great Falls "Electrics" minor...Read more...
Additional References
6.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/mary.kate.teske.2025/posts/the-first-documented-motion-picture-footage-of-a-ufo-was-captured-by-nick-marian/1039363715177073/
Source snippet
August 15, 1950, Great Falls Selectrics baseball team general manager Nick Mariana filmed two shiny objects speeding by in the sky above the...
Published: August 15, 1950
7.
Source: greatfallshistorymuseum.org
Title: the mariana ufo great falls visiting voyagers
Link:https://www.greatfallshistorymuseum.org/blog/the-mariana-ufo-great-falls-visiting-voyagers
Source snippet
Mariana UFO Incident: Great Falls' Visiting Voyagers1 Sept 2025 — This video includes the segments of the film relating to Nick Mariana's...
8.
Source: treasurestatelifestyles.com
Link:https://treasurestatelifestyles.com/the-mariana-ufo-incident/
Source snippet
The Mariana UFO Incident1 Sept 2016 — It was taken by Nick Mariana around 11:30am on August 15, 1950 in Great Falls...
Published: August 15, 1950
9.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Meet the Author: “No Cause for Alarm: Flying Saucer Mania and the Montana Movie”
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9z6mFM3iSo
Source snippet
[Malmstrom]({{ 'malmstrom/' | relative_url }}) Museum and Air Park highlights 80 plus years of air defense...
10.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Malmstrom Museum and Air Park highlights 80 plus years of air defense
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv_uA97EupU
Source snippet
UFOs vs. Nukes: The Secret State Secrets...
11.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/groups/764515800577918/posts/2623533678009445/
Source snippet
Mariana UFO incident footageThe Mariana UFO incident occurred in August, 1950 in Great Falls, Montana. The sighting, filmed by local base...
12.
Source: instagram.com
Link:https://www.instagram.com/reel/DabugcTpyL7/
13.
Source: commons.wikimedia.org
Title: File:Nick Mariana UFO Footage 1950 Great Falls Montana.webm
Link:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANick_Mariana_UFO_Footage_1950_Great_Falls_Montana.webm
14.
Source: youtube.com
Title: UFO Over Montana: The Mariana Incident & The Great Falls Mystery
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBPYf7wT40w
15.
Source: filmthreat.com
Title: the bootleg files the 1950 montana ufo film
Link:https://filmthreat.com/features/the-bootleg-files-the-1950-montana-ufo-film/