UFO Magazine (UK)
Encyclopedia
UFO Magazine was a British
magazine
devoted to the subject of unidentified flying object
s (UFOs) and extraterrestrial life
. It was founded in 1981 by brothers Graham and Mark Birdsall of Leeds
, Yorkshire
. The magazine was one of the success stories of ufology
, with an international reputation for quality and a peak circulation of 35,000. Much of this success can be attributed to Editor-in-Chief Graham Birdsall, who was a man of great energy and passion for the subject, but lacking the gullibility and wishful-thinking characteristic of many ufologists. Under his guidance, UFO Magazine struck a happy medium between the extremes of debunking
skepticism and uncritical belief.
Graham Birdsall died from a brain haemorrhage at the age of 49 in September 2003, leaving a wife and three daughters. The editor's job was taken over for a few months by Graham's son-in-law Russel Callaghan, but UFO Magazine eventually ceased publication in March 2004.
The void left by UFO Magazine has been filled to some extent by the newly produced UFO Data magazine referred to as the 'UFO Data Report' and Gary Heseltine's UFO Monthly Magazine.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
devoted to the subject of unidentified flying object
Unidentified flying object
A term originally coined by the military, an unidentified flying object is an unusual apparent anomaly in the sky that is not readily identifiable to the observer as any known object...
s (UFOs) and extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
. It was founded in 1981 by brothers Graham and Mark Birdsall of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. The magazine was one of the success stories of ufology
Ufology
Ufology is a neologism coined to describe the collective efforts of those who study reports and associated evidence of unidentified flying objects . UFOs have been subject to various investigations over the years by governments, independent groups, and scientists...
, with an international reputation for quality and a peak circulation of 35,000. Much of this success can be attributed to Editor-in-Chief Graham Birdsall, who was a man of great energy and passion for the subject, but lacking the gullibility and wishful-thinking characteristic of many ufologists. Under his guidance, UFO Magazine struck a happy medium between the extremes of debunking
Debunker
A debunker is an individual who attempts to discredit and contradict claims as being false, exaggerated or pretentious. The term is closely associated with skeptical investigation of, or in some cases irrational resistance to, controversial topics such as U.F.O.s, claimed paranormal phenomena,...
skepticism and uncritical belief.
Graham Birdsall died from a brain haemorrhage at the age of 49 in September 2003, leaving a wife and three daughters. The editor's job was taken over for a few months by Graham's son-in-law Russel Callaghan, but UFO Magazine eventually ceased publication in March 2004.
The void left by UFO Magazine has been filled to some extent by the newly produced UFO Data magazine referred to as the 'UFO Data Report' and Gary Heseltine's UFO Monthly Magazine.