11. Gremlins Confused World War I Pilots
Gremlins, pesky little creatures that create mischief among humans, are a recent phenomenon. They don’t exist in ancient mythologies (as far as we are aware) and first made their appearance among fighter pilots in the British military during World War I. The creatures were described as generally being between six inches and one foot in height, having horns or large rabbit-like ears, and wearing black leather boots. Though generally friendly, they were said to bite through aircraft cables, drink fuel, cut through the wings, and punch bombardiers and gunners who were affixing their targets.
These creatures that were routinely reported by fighter pilots and their crews came to be known as Gremlins, after the Brothers Grimm of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. However, reports about them did not reach the public until 1922, several years after the war ended, because of a superstition that acknowledging the gremlins would bring about bad luck.
Following World War I, gremlins were reported by Charles Lindbergh during his 1927 historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean, though he didn’t make the experience public until The Spirit of St. Louis was published in 1953. World War II pilots also reported them. Some believe that gremlins are tech-savvy versions of other spirits who create mischief for humans.
