September 19, 1961 — Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, were driving home through the White Mountains after a trip to Montreal. Betty was a social worker; Barney was a postal worker; both were NAACP members and civil rights activists. Credentials made them unusually resistant to credibility attacks. ENCOUNTER: Around 10pm on US Route 3 near Franconia Notch, they observed a bright light that appeared to follow their car. Barney stopped and observed humanoid figures through binoculars in the windows of a disc-shaped craft. He screamed, drove away, then entered a trance. The next memory: arriving home 35 miles away, two hours unaccounted for. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE: Betty’s dress torn and stained (preserved at University of New Hampshire). Barney’s shoes scuffed at an unusual angle. Both watches stopped. Strange warts later appeared on Barney. HYPNOSIS (December 1963 onward): Dr. Benjamin Simon (Boston psychiatrist, hypnosis specialist) conducted weekly sessions over 7 months. Hill accounts, recovered separately, corroborated each other on key elements before being shared with one another: medical examination by grey-skinned beings with large eyes and non-verbal communication; Betty examined with a needle in her navel; Barney examined for genetic samples. STAR MAP: Under hypnosis, Betty drew a map she said was shown to her by the “leader” — lines connecting stars representing trade routes. In 1969, amateur astronomer Marjorie Fish built a physical 3D model of nearby stars and concluded the map matched the view from Zeta Reticuli — a binary star system 39 light-years away. Later analysis disputed this match. PROJECT BLUE BOOK: Filed the case as “insufficient data.” Betty’s papers and the original dress are in the permanent collection at the University of New Hampshire. The Hills introduced the abduction template: missing time, medical examination, star maps, and grey beings — all of which shaped every subsequent abduction narrative.